Lauri Markkanen is a Finland-based professional basketball player; his playing position is Small forward / Power forward for the Utah Jazz of the NBA. The Minnesota Timberwolves took him with the 7th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft before taking in a trade to the Chicago Bulls for Jimmy Butler.
Laureen Markkanen High Score Performance
On Wednesday, NBA games produced a list of high-scoring performances.
Fourteen players have more than 30 points; among them are the stars Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum, Ja Morant, LeBron James, Lauri Markkanen, and Bennedict Mathurin. Out of the above, 14 players broke the 30 points.
Lauri scored a season-high 32 in the Utah Jazz win over Atlanta Hawks, going 9 of 18 from the floor, which included 6 of 8 from 3-point range and 8 rebounds.
The most extraordinary about each player was their scoring performance.
Lauri (22.7 PPG, 8.8 RPG) has become the centerpiece for a Utah Jazz that leads the NBA in scoring. This 25-year-old player was a part of a summer trade that sent Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers. on the other side, Utah Jazz received Lauri along with Collin Sexton and Ochai Agbaji.
After Utah Jazz CEO Danny Ainge traded for Lauri, he had not imagined the young Finnish boy would begin the 2022-23 season and earn All-Star-like numbers. His scoring numbers dropped considerably in his last 2 years with the Chicago Bulls, as he had a string of injuries.
After his performance, Lauri is leading the first-place Utah Jazz in scoring and returning as the most pleasant surprise of this NBA season. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, he is now listed at 450 plus to win NBA’s Most Improved Player.
Lauri Markkanen Early Life:
| Full Real Name | Lauri Elias Markkanen |
| Family Name | Markkanen |
| Profession | Professional basketball player |
| Date Of Birth | May 22nd, 1997 |
| Age | 25 years old |
| Birthday | May 22nd |
| Year Of Birth | 1997 |
| Nick Name | Magic Markkanen, The Finisher |
| Current Residence | N/A |
| Country | Finland |
| Nationality | Finland |
| Ethnicity | N/A |
| Religion | Christian |
Lauri was born on 22nd May 1997 in Vantaa, Finland. He is currently 25 years old. While growing up, he played his junior years in HoNsU, a local team.
Lauri Markkanen Family Background:
| Father | Pekka Markkanen |
| Mother | Riikka Markkanen |
| Brothers | Miikka and Eero |
| Sisters | None |
Lauri was born to Pekka and Riikka Markkanen; both were professional basketball players. Lauri was raised with his two brothers; one is a former professional basketball player named Miikka, and the other is a professional footballer named Eero.
Lauri Markkanen Education:
| Highest Qualification | College degree |
| College | The University of Arizona |
| High School | N/A |
Lauri studied at the University of Arizona in Tucson, where he was also a player on the basketball college team “Wildcats men’s basketball team.”
Lauri Markkanen Physical stats:
| Weight In Kg | 109 kg |
| Height In Feet | 6 feet and 11 inches |
| Hair Color | Blonde |
| Eye Color | light brown eyes |
Lauri stands at 6′ 11″ tall and weighs around 109 kg. His Body Mass Index (BMI) is 24, which suits him because of his height and weight combination. Moreover, his tall and lean body is an advantage for him in competing with the best players in the NBA. Lauri has a fair complexion, beautiful light brown eyes, and short curly blonde hair, which adds to his charming personality.
Lauri Markkanen Birth Signs:
| Sun Sign | Gemini |
| Star Sign | Gemini |
| Birth Sign Duality | Assertive |
| Birth Sign Modality | Mutable |
According to Lauri’s date of birth, he comes under the zodiac sign of Gemini. Geminis are flexible, extroverted, playful, and intellectually curious. They constantly juggle a variety of hobbies, passions, careers, and friend groups.
Lauri Markkanen Net worth:
| Net Worth | $3 million |
| Source Of Income | Professional basketball career |
Lauri has a successful career, and at only 25 years old, his estimated net worth is $3 million. He mainly earns from his basketball profession. Lauri signed a 4-year contract with the Chicago Bulls worth $67,470,906, including an annual average salary of $16,867,727 and $55,426,362 guaranteed. Further, in 2022-23, he will earn a base salary of $16,475,454.
Lauri Markkanen Relationship Status:
| Spouse Name | Verna Aho |
| No Of Children | 2 |
| Marital Status | married |
Lauri met his sole mate Verna Aho, in his school days. After dating for a long time, in 2017, they got married. Their wedding details are still not available.
In February 2018, the couple welcomed the arrival of their son, Alvar, and later in October 2020, their second child was born.
Lauri Markkanen Career:
College career:
On 17th October 2015, Lauri verbally committed to the NCAA Division I squad Arizona Wildcats before the 2016–17 season. On 11th November, he signed a letter of intent to Arizona.
On 12th January 2017, Lauri recorded a career-high 30 points against Arizona State Sun Devils men’s basketball. In addition also recorded a career-high 13 rebounds 3 times against Washington State, Northern Colorado, and Washington. On 4th March 2017, Lauri achieved his career-high 3 blocks against Arizona State in the regular season finale.
On 6th March 2017, NBC Sports, Associated Press, USA Today, and Sporting News selected Lauri to the third All-American team. He was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection, first-team All-Pac-12 Freshman team, and first-team All-Pac-12 team in Associated Press.
After his freshman season, Lauri announced his desire to forgo his final 3 years of collegiate eligibility and enter the 2017 NBA draft.
Professional career:
The Minnesota Timberwolves drafted Markkanen with the seventh pick in the 1st round of the 2017 NBA draft. Later on the same night of the draft, he was traded to the Chicago Bulls. On 5th July 2017, Lauri signed with the Bulls.
On 19th October 2017, Lauri made his NBA debut with the team and scored 17 points. On 24th October, he set an NBA record for most 3-pointers in the first 3 games of an NBA career with ten 3-pointers. On 30th December, he scored 32 points and 7 rebounds in a 119–107 win against the Indiana Pacers. Further, on 10th January 2018, Lauri played a career-high 46 minutes and scored 33 points along with eight 3-pointers in a 122–119 win against the New York Knicks. On 22nd January, he scored 17 rebounds against the New Orleans Pelicans, and on 26th January, Lauri blocked three shots against the Los Angeles Lakers.
On 28th January, after scoring 17 points against the Milwaukee Bucks, he became the career leading scorer among NBA players from Finland. Further, on 22nd May of the same year, Lauri was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Lauri ended his rookie season, leading the Chicago Bulls in rebounds with 7.5 and 4th in scoring with 15.2; his 14 double-doubles were third among rookies.
For the next season, Lauri missed the first 23 games, and then on 28th January 2019, he scored 19 rebounds in a loss to the Brooklyn Nets, and on 8th February, he scored 31 points and 18 rebounds in a win over Brooklyn. Further, on 23rd February, Lauri scored 35 points and 15 rebounds in a win over the Boston Celtics, and on 1st March, he achieved 31 points and 17 rebounds in the win over the Atlanta Hawks. On 28th March, Lauri could not play for the balanced season, as he was undergoing tests for his health problems, which Lauri experienced in a 26th March game. In the 52 games he played in the season, Lauri was 2nd on the team with 18.7 points and 1st with 9.0 rebounds and 20 double-doubles (overall 4th in the NBA).
Lauri began his next season and scored 35 points and 17 rebounds in a loss to the Charlotte Hornets. On 30th January 2021, Lauri scored a season-high 31 points in a 123–122 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. Further, after the Bulls added Nikola Vučević and Daniel Theis to the team to fortify their frontcourt, Lauri lost his starting spot. On 29th March, Lauri, it was for the first time during the season that he was on the bench, and for the second time in his 194 career games. Later, Lauri scored 13 points, six rebounds, and an assist in a 116–102 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Since Lauri was moved to the second unit, he was given a limited time and played for the small forward position. On 12th April, in the game against the Memphis Grizzlies, he went scoreless for the 1st time in his career.
On 28th August, Lauri was acquired by the Cleveland Cavaliers with a three-team sign-and-trade involving the Portland Trail Blazers.
On 1st September 2022, Lauri was traded to the Utah Jazz along with Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji, 3 first-round picks, and 3 pick swaps in exchange for Donovan Mitchell.
Junior National Team:
Lauri made his international debut at the 2015 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship with the Finnish U-18 national team. He averaged 18.2 points per game to lead the team in the summer of 2015. Lauri was also the top scorer in the 2016 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship tournament, scoring an average of 24.9 points per game. In addition, Lauri was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Senior National Team:
Lauri played with the Finland senior team at EuroBasket 2017 (partly held in his home country). Over 6 games, Lauri led his team to the 16th round with an average of 19.5 points and 5.7 rebounds.
Further, in 2022, he played his 2nd EuroBasket tournament. In Round 16, Lauri scored 43 points to lead Finland and a 94–86 win over Croatia, marking a new record for a Finnish player at the EuroBasket. The win also led to Finland’s 1st quarterfinal appearance in 55 years. But later, Finland lost in the following quarterfinals to Spain; Lauri averaged 27.9 points on 54.2% shooting and 8 rebounds over 7 games.
Career Highlights and Awards:
- National Player of the Week (2017)
- Pac-12 All-Freshman team (2017)
- First-team All-Pac-12 (2017)
- Third-team All-American – AP, NABC, SN (2017)
- NBA All-Rookie First Team (2018)
- 5× Finnish Player of the Year (2017–2021)
Lauri Markkanen Social Appearance:
Lauri is as active the social media as in his career. He has around 300K followers on Instagram, 109.5K on Twitter, and 53K on Facebook. Further, He also has a YouTube profile with around 3.75K subscribers. Lauri has uploaded videos of his career experiences here.
Lauri generally posts his basketball career related to his social media accounts and occasionally about his personal life.
