Lauri Markkanen may be a big star in the eyes of the Finns, but in Prague, which is hosting the first group of the European Championship, Susijengi’s first name was only recognized on the street basketball court of Markkanen’s former teammate.
Janne Karinkanta,
Roope Visuri
PRAGUE. in Finland Lauri from Markka is often titled as an NBA star and he is undeniably that from a Finnish point of view. However, in Prague, which hosted Susijeng’s first group of the European Championship, the reality was revealed that Finland’s star player is not even known to all Czechs who actively follow basketball.
Before the European Championships, we were able to visit the Czech team’s fan meeting in the shopping center next to the Prague arena. On the red carpet, the Czech team is marketed by, among other things, a supermodel Karolina Kurkova.
She was known in her time as a Victoria’s Secret model, and in 2007, for example, Kurkova was the highest-earning model in the entire world. More recently, he has done, for example, marketing work for the EC basketball championship organization in the Czech Republic.
Kurkova has a basketball background, as her father Josef is a former top basketball player.
However, when we showed Lauri Markkanen’s picture to Kurkova, the model did not recognize the person from Jyväskylä.
– He is Finnish. He is very handsome. Does he have a Spain shirt, Kurkova ponders, compliments and asks before the answer turns out to be Markkase.
– So he is a dangerous player against us. It’s always difficult to play against NBA players.
Czech basketball fans and siblings Lucia and Lukas are equally puzzled.
– He looks really handsome, the siblings say.
Lucia, who confesses to be more of a basketball fan, describes him as looking familiar, but she doesn’t know the final answer.
Perhaps they hadn’t had time to stop by the fan sales point of the shopping mall next to the Prague Arena. There, Lauri Markkanen is prominently displayed with pictures.
However, there is one interviewee at the fan meeting who knows Finland’s star player. The only NBA player of the Czech national team, representing Okholma City Thunder Vit Krejci considers Finland to be a really tough team.
– He is a really good player. I like the way he plays. He is probably the best Finnish player of all time. I feel too Sasu Salini. I played against him a couple of times in Spain, says Krejci.
The name can be found immediately on the street corner field
After a few days of the Games, people who recognize Markkanen also start to appear. We visited the Czech star player on the Sunday after the Poland match Tomas Satoransky by building a basketball court in Prague.
The conditions are perfect and there are enough players for decent games. I hear that weeknights are the most crowded on the field.
According to media reports, Satoransky put three million Czech crowns into the field himself, or about 120,000 euros. Satoransky currently represents FC Barcelona, but had time to play in the NBA for six seasons. He was also Lauri Markkanen’s teammate in Chicago.
Markkanen is quickly recognized on the pitch, the center circle of which is decorated with the Czech star’s nickname “Sato”.
– He is Lauri Markkanen. He is really good, says Mateusz.
After all, the most recent trade to Utah has not reached the ears of these Czechs, and naturally they do not have all the details of the Finn’s career.
– It’s Lauri Markkanen. He’s really good. He plays in Cleveland and scores 20-25 points per game. He’s in his second or third season in the NBA, right? Philip reviews
After hearing that Markkanen is now starting his sixth season in the NBA, Filip still admires the Finnish player.
– He has been really good since he was a newcomer, Filipkuvailee.
In the Czech Republic, basketball culture is on the rise
The Czech Republic basically has many similar features to Finland. People like hockey, football and beer.
In general, the Czechs are a people crazy about sports. Like Finland, the country’s basketball culture has also been on the rise.
In the previous World Cup, there was a giant bang, when the Czech Republic reached sixth thanks to Satoransky’s top performances, among other things. For example, the great USA, which flopped in the Games and finished seventh, was left behind.
According to the estimates of our interviewees, basketball is the third biggest sport after football and ice hockey.
It’s no wonder that the Czechs we meet recognize Oitis Satoransky from the pictures, whether it’s a shopping center or a basketball court. To the chagrin of the Czech fans and home matches, Satoransky has suffered from injuries recently. His playing in the European Championships has been uncertain.
In the opening match against Poland, which ended in defeat, Satoransky played 17 minutes without scoring. Against Serbia, the ball magician did not play at all, when the Prague arena was almost sold out. An audience of more than 15,000 people caused a deafening noise.
– We hope that Tomas will play. He is my good friend. I would like to see him play. Nobody knows, says Kurkova.
– It’s a big blow if he can’t play. He is an important part of the team. I hope Tomas can help us succeed.
Prague is one of the four host cities of the initial groups in this fall’s European Championships. Other blocks are hosted by Cologne in Germany, Milan in Italy and Tbilisi in Georgia.
According to Kurkova, the European basketball championships are a big deal for the whole country.
– We haven’t hosted karis competition for 20 years. The country is really excited, Kurkova claimed.
The Czech Republic’s start in the European Championships has been sticky, but at least on Satoransky’s home field, it is still enough to believe in challenging Finland in terms of future dreams in a big match. However, Mateusz, who was the first to recognize Markkanen in our interviews, is confident to Jan Vesely in the struggle against Markka.
Vesely is a winger who has also played 162 games in the NBA, and in 2019 was selected as the most valuable player in the Euroleague in Fenerbach’s shirt. Like Satoransky, Vesely will represent FC Barcelona in the coming season.
– Vesely can defend Markkas well. Markkanen can score 15 points, but we win the game.
Susijeng’s matches continue in the European Championships on Monday against champion candidate Serbia at 22:00. Live broadcast of the match on TV2 and Areena from 21:40. Finland and the Czech Republic will meet at 18:30 on Tuesday. That match, like all of Susijeng’s EC matches, will be broadcast live from .