Lauri Markkanen
He moved to the United States and played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats in the 2016–17 season, where he earned First-team All-Pac-12 honors in his lone year with the team.He was selected seventh overall in the 2017 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves before being included in a draft-night trade to the Chicago Bulls for Jimmy Butler.Following a stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Markkanen experienced a career resurgence in his first year with the Jazz, earning his first All-Star selection and winning the Most Improved Player Award in 2023.At the conclusion of his freshman season, Markkanen announced his intention to forgo his final three years of collegiate eligibility and enter the 2017 NBA draft.[31] After scoring seventeen points against the Milwaukee Bucks on 28 January 2018, Markkanen surpassed Hanno Möttölä (715) as the career leading scorer among NBA players from Finland.[39][40][41] After the Bulls added veteran big men Daniel Theis and Nikola Vučević to their roster to fortify their frontcourt, Markkanen lost his starting spot.[42][43] On 29 March, Markkanen came off the bench for the first time during the season[44] and the second in his 194 career games,[45] he finished with 13 points, six rebounds and an assist across 22 minutes in a 102–116 loss to the Golden State Warriors.[70] On 15 December 2023, it was reported that Markkanen appeared to no longer be an off-limits, "untouchable" figure on the Jazz, concerning any trade possibilities, as the interest in him grew around the league.[72][73] On 18 January 2024, it was reported that the Jazz are determined to build around Markkanen long-term as their franchise player, and are expected to re-negotiate and extend his current deal in summer 2024.[76][77] On 7 August 2024, after Markkanen had been linked with trade speculations to the Golden State Warriors the whole summer, he signed a contract extension with the Jazz, on a five-year deal worth $238 million,[78] surpassing Kimi Räikkönen to become the highest earning Finnish athlete ever.[79] On 23 October, in the first game of the season, Markkanen recorded 35 points and nine rebounds, in a 126–124 home loss against Memphis Grizzlies, the team coached by his fellow-countryman Tuomas Iisalo.In the Round of 16, Markkanen scored 43 points to lead Finland to a 94–86 win over Croatia, setting a new all-time record for a Finnish player at the EuroBasket.[95] In December 2023, Markkanen signed an extended and upgraded deal with Nike, including customized personal edition shoes, featuring "LM23" and "Finnisher" on each heel.[99] On 8 October 2024, Markkanen was a featured guest during the NHL expansion team Utah Hockey Club's inaugural game and joined owner Ryan Smith on the ice for the ceremonial opening puck drop.
Cleveland CavaliersSmall forwardpower forwardVantaaHelsinkiArizonaNBA draftMinnesota TimberwolvesHBA-MärskyChicago Bulls2021–2022Utah JazzNBA All-StarNBA Most Improved PlayerNBA All-Rookie First TeamFinnish Athlete of the YearFinnish Player of the YearAll-AmericanAll-Pac-12Basketball ReferencebasketballNational Basketball AssociationFinland national teamfootballerEero MarkkanenFIBA U18 EuroBasketFIBA U20 EuroBasketcollege basketballArizona Wildcats2017 NBA draftJimmy ButlerAll-StarMost Improved Player Award2023 FIBA World CupJyväskyläFinnish second-tier leagueBasketball Without BordersMike BibbySB NationPac-12Karl Malone AwardNaismith AwardWooden AwardWayman Tisdale AwardOscar Robertson AwardNaismithArizona StateNorthern ColoradoWashington StateWashingtonAssociated PressNBC SportsUSA TodaySporting NewsZach LaVineKris DunnJustin PattonBrian ScalabrineIndiana PacersNew York KnicksDirk NowitzkiNew Orleans PelicansLos Angeles LakersMilwaukee BucksHanno MöttöläKyle KuzmaBen SimmonsBrooklyn NetsBoston CelticsAtlanta HawksToronto RaptorsCharlotte HornetsMichael JordanPortland Trail BlazersDaniel TheisNikola VučevićGolden State WarriorsMemphis GrizzliesPatty MillsDenver NuggetsEvan MobleyJarrett AllenCleveland RTAhub of the same namesmall ballbig mendefensive ratingOchai AgbajiCollin SextonDonovan MitchellPhoenix SunsDetroit PistonsHouston RocketsNBA All-Star gameNordic countryStephen CurryZion WilliamsonOklahoma City Thunder2022–23Shai Gilgeous-AlexanderJalen BrunsontankingKimi RäikkönenTuomas Iisalo2017 Eurobasket2015 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship2016 FIBA Europe Under-20 ChampionshipFinland senior national teamEuroBasket 2017CroatiaField goal3-point field goalFree throwReboundsAssistsStealsBlocks2017–18Chicago2018–192019–202020–212021–22Cleveland2023–242016–17