Leevi Parsama, who traveled to Memphis with his son Eemel, ultimately did not get to see Markkas in action. Markkanen had to miss the match due to a sore knee.
Raisio’s Leevi Parsama this week’s basketball trip to Memphis was full of surprising twists and turns.
Parsama traveled almost five thousand miles to his son Emelin with to see the Finnish NBA star Lauri Markkanen in real action in the Utah Jazz’s away game against the Memphis Grizzlies on the night before Thursday Finnish time.
– Lauri greeted us in the middle of the warm-up as soon as we arrived in the hall wearing Susijeng’s shirts. Then karma struck. After leaving the players’ tunnel, Lauri stopped to chat and told me that he couldn’t play because of a knee injury, Parsama says.
Markkanen missed the game as a precaution, as this weekend he will participate in the first NBA all-star weekend of his career.
Game shoes with nickers as a consolation gift
However, the match was memorable for Finnish fans. As a memory, Markkanen gave Parsamoi his playing shoes, with his autograph.
– Great thing. We could probably pay for the trip by selling those shoes, but they will stay in our storefront forever, says Parsama.
Leevi Parsama, who himself played basketball for 30 years, got excited about the North American basketball league NBA already in the 1980s. At that time, the idea that a Finn would play in the world’s toughest basketball league seemed unbelievable.
Parsama decided to go to the place to witness if such a miracle happens.
Now Parsama was on the NBA trip for the second time.
– In 2001, we were watching in Atlanta with a group of friends Hanno Möttölän game. I had time to plan to see Lauri Markkanen for a couple of years, but Korona put the brakes on the plans a little. Now the father-son trip with Eemel was successful around the skiing holiday, Parsama says.