Lauri Markkanen made Finnish sports history early on Friday when he was selected for the NBA’s all-star game.
Selection among the 24 best players was expected after the Finn’s top performances. However, the Utah Jazz star had to wait a long time for his selection. Markkanen’s name was only revealed in the live TV broadcast as the second-to-last name.
Lauri Markkanen recently said that the situation was nerve-racking.
Already last week, Markkanen was close to being selected for the starting five with the votes of fans, media and players. However, the selection was sealed early on Friday among the substitute players as voted by the coaches.
Markkanen’s Pekka father told Radio Finland daily that he was sleeping when the selection was announced.
– I heard about the selection at half past five in the morning when I woke up. I saw the headlines about it. Since then, I have communicated quite closely with Lauri. Apparently, he has also taken a long time to go to sleep. Lauri was still awake at nine Finnish time, Pekka Markkanen revealed.
Father had a great feeling on Friday at noon.
– It is said that there is an empty feeling. The last two weeks have been waiting for this announcement. First, there was tension about getting into the opening five. It wasn’t very far. Now we have been on hot coals and tried to stay moderate, Pekka-isä says.
The All-Star Game selection is a significant thing in the sense that it brings appreciation to an NBA player. Before last night, 499 players had been seen on the NBA floor this season. 24 of them made it to the all-star game.
– It’s a bit unreal feeling. I don’t really understand how this will affect everything, Pekka Markkanen says emotionally.
– The most important thing is probably Lauri’s appreciation in the series and everything around it, like all kinds of negotiations. Are they partner negotiations, Lauri’s own agreements or nothing. This is a great thing for all Finnish sports, that we get to enjoy this moment.
Finns are used to the hockey league NHL that the star game itself is just entertainment. In the NHL, the appreciation of star selection is constantly on the decline. For example, one player from each team gets into the NHL all-star game, and not everyone is even very willing to play.
Lauri Markkanen, on the other hand, has talked about the star game as his personal goal since the beginning of his NBA career.
– The NBA star game itself is probably the same as in the NHL. Let’s watch out for injuries and the game is a demonstration event. However, getting into the top 24 is the most important thing. There are probably 50 million licensed basketball players in the world. When there are 24 of them, it’s a big deal, says Pekka Markkanen.
Father and son are naturally closely connected. Lauri Markkanen had told his father that the coaches had left their vote last Saturday. So the feats of the last two Utah games were no longer effective. However, at the turn of the month, Lauri Markkanen has continued what he has done before.
Markkanen was traded from Cleveland to Utah last fall, just before the European Championships. Since then, the Finn has been flying at a whole new level on the floor.
Under Markkanen’s leadership, Utah is struggling for a playoff spot, when beforehand the team was thought to belong to the bottom of the series.
What really happened last summer during the European Championships?
– Yaa-a… Yes, there is a lot of work behind it. No magic trick happened last summer, Pekka-isä himself says with amazement.
Throughout the NBA season, there has been a lot of talk, for example, about how Markkanen changed his training to focus more on speed, sharpness and flexibility.
– The pieces started falling into place. He didn’t make any drastic changes. If you look at Lauri’s national matches over the past two years, he hasn’t been bad, Pekka Markkanen points out.
Dad also raises the importance of Utah Jazz coach Will Hardy. Hardy, one of the youngest head coaches in the NBA, has grown into a successful coach in the world’s toughest basketball league To Gregg Popovic in doctrine.
– I really liked it when I heard that Lauri was getting a coach who plays European-style basketball. When Lauri did so well in the European Championships, he didn’t set out to take anything away from Lauri. Yes, there must have been such a top equation here, says Pekka Markkanen.
The goal of adolescence is no longer so utopian
Lauri Markkanen is only 25 years old, but has already come a long way in the NBA. Now the native of Jyväskylä is playing his sixth season in a third different club.
After two brilliant first seasons, the Finn fell out of the All-Star Game speculation. In the background were injuries and the fact that the versatile skills of the Finn were not really utilized even in the NBA.
Lauri Markkanen recently told the North American media that after the selection, he started to remember what all was required for the star game selection.
Pekka’s father remembers well a couple of stories about young Lauri Markkase.
– As a little boy, Lauri used to throw a basketball in the yard when it was ten degrees below zero. Then Lauri said, “Dad, could I get mittens when it’s hard to throw with mittens?” I then said that I can buy mittens if you want to throw in that kind of weather, Pekka Markkanen laughs.
In his teenage years, Lauri Markkanen’s mental qualities also began to shine.
– Lauri said as a B or C junior that his goal is not to get to the NBA. Lauri said that his goal is to be the best player in the NBA. I said that’s enough of a goal. Now, however, it is no longer such a utopian idea one day. If the development continues even further, Lauri will always raise the bar higher, says Pekka Markkanen.
The all-star match will be played in Salt Lake City at Utah’s home arena on Sunday, February 19, i.e. early Monday, February 20 Finnish time. Pekka’s father and his family are heading to Salt Lake City on site.
– I’d be pretty stupid if I didn’t go, Pekka Markkanen blurted out.