Lauri Markkanen is a Finnish professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association. In 2023, he was named an NBA All-Star. He had also played for the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Player Profile and Personal Life
Lauri Elias Markkanen was born on May 22, 1997, in Vantaa, Finland. He stands 213 cm tall and his weight is listed at 108 kg. Markkanen shoots right-handed and plays a power forward.
Markkanen comes from an athletic family. His father Pekka Markkanen played basketball professionally, and his mother Riikka Markkanen played for the Finnish national team. His older brother Eero Markkanen is a professional soccer player.
| Team |
Cleveland Cavaliers
|
| Position | Small Forward |
| Height / weight | 2.13 m / 108 kg |
| Born | 22 May 1997 |
| Nationality |
Finland
|
| Playing Style | Right Handed |
| Nickname | Lauri Legend |
| Team History | |
|
Cleveland
|
2021 - present |
Utah
|
2022 - present |
Chicago
|
2017 - 2021 |
| HBA-Märsky | 2014 - 2016 |
High School and College Career
Markkanen played high school basketball for the Helsinki Basketball Academy from 2014 to 2016. He later committed to play college basketball for the University of Arizona in 2015.
In his lone season at Arizona in 2016-17, he was named to the First-team All-Pac-12 and helped lead the Wildcats to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
Professional Career
Markkanen was selected with the 7th overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2017 NBA Draft. His draft rights were immediately traded to the Chicago Bulls in a deal that sent Jimmy Butler to Minnesota.
Markkanen played his first four NBA seasons with the Bulls from 2017 to 2021. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
In August 2021, Markkanen was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team deal.
Then in September 2022, Markkanen was traded to the Utah Jazz. He had a breakout season in 2022-23, earning his first NBA All-Star selection while averaging career-highs of 25.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Markkanen was named the NBA Most Improved Player for the 2022-23 season.
As of 2024, he remains with the Jazz.
Career Highlights
- 2023 - NBA All-Star
- 2023 - NBA Most Improved Player
- 2023 - Finnish Athlete of the Year
- 2018 - NBA All-Rookie First Team
- 2017–2023 - 7× Finnish Player of the Year
- 2017 - Third-team All-American – AP, NABC, SN
- 2017 - First-team All-Pac-12
- 2017 - Pac-12 All-Freshman team
- 2016 - FIBA U20 EuroBasket top scorer
- 2015 - FIBA U18 EuroBasket top scorer
