Lauri Markkanen: Why His Nikname ‘The Finnisher’? Age, Height, Weight, Relationship, Bio, And More
After playing in the league for almost six years, Lauri Markkanen was finally selected to participate in the All-Star game. Markkanen was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the seventh overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Markkanen, who stood 7 feet tall, was a shooter at the time of the Draft and made an immediate impact with his shooting.
This year with the Utah Jazz, he has played at a level that can be described as nothing short than spectacular. Despite this, his stints with the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers were successful, and he is currently on a roll.
He plays well for the Bulls throughout the course of four seasons, taking use of his height advantage on both ends of the court.
In the end, he was included in a three-team trade that sent him to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Because of his successful time with the Cavaliers, he became an important player in both the power forward and centre positions on the team.
He supplied a much-needed presence for the team by grabbing offensive rebounds and blocking shots at the defensive end of the court.
Because of the depth he brought in the shooting department from beyond the arc, his teammates began to refer to him as “The Finnisher.”
Earlier on in the season, he set a new career high in scoring with 49 points while the Houston Rockets were his opponent in a victory. He made six of his three-point attempts, had five dunks, and was perfect from the charity stripe, making all thirteen of his attempts. The 25-year-old man couldn’t have asked for a more favourable outcome.
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Lauri Markkanen: Why His Nikname ‘The Finnisher’?
Because of his shooting prowess and his nationality, he was dubbed “The Finisher” during his early years in the National Basketball Association (NBA).1
It would be accurate to state that he is performing at a high level with the Utah Jazz at the moment.
He pulls down 8.6 rebounds per game and dishes out 1.8 assists on average. This season with the Utah Jazz, his 3-point percentage is unquestionably at an extremely high level, standing at 40.8%.
Lauri Markkanen: Ethnicity
Markkanen is a Finnish basketball player who is currently 25 years old. His father, Pekka Markkanen, was also a professional basketball player. Pekka competed for Finland on the national basketball team for several years.
Between the years 1984 and 2004, he was a professional player in Finland and Spain. He was famous for his shooting skills, which his son received from him and carried on the family name.
The mother of Lauri, Riikka, was a member of the Finnish national volleyball team as well. Yet, she had some experience playing basketball at the junior level.
Two of Lauri’s older siblings are also athletes who have competed professionally in soccer and basketball. Ero Markkanen is a professional soccer player and recently surprised everyone by signing a contract to play with Real Madrid for the upcoming season.
Nonetheless, he is currently playing for a team in Helsinki called IFK Helsingfors. His other older brother, Miikka Markkanen, was a member of the squad that their father coached locally.
Despite this, Lauri has succeeded in becoming the most accomplished athlete in the family and currently competes at a high level in the NBA.
Lauri Markkanen: Bio
Lauri Elias Markkanen is a Finnish professional basketball player who is currently employed by the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association.2
He was born on May 22, 1997. (NBA). He is the younger brother of footballer Eero Markkanen and has the nick moniker “The Finnisher.” His parents, Pekka and Riikka Markkanen, both played basketball in Finland, and he is their son.
After beginning his professional career with HBA-Marsky in the second-tier league of Finnish basketball, Markkanen relocated to the United States and played collegiate basketball for the Arizona Wildcats.
During his lone season with the Wildcats, he was named to the first team of All-Pac-12 honorees. In the 2017 NBA draught, the Minnesota Timberwolves picked him up with the seventh overall pick.
However, on draught night, the Timberwolves traded him to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Jimmy Butler. Markkanen had a career revival in his first year with the Jazz, following a spell with the Cleveland Cavaliers. As a result of this, he was selected for the All-Star game for the first time in 2023.
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Lauri Markkanen: Career
When you’re a kid in Jyvaskyla, Finland, playing basketball takes a slightly different course than it does in the United States.3
During Markkanen’s junior years at HoNsU, he was a member of a local team. In 2014, he made the move to the HBA-Marsky team, which competes in the second-tier league in Finland.
He was a player there until he decided to take his basketball career to the next level in the United States, leaving behind his homeland in the process.
College Career (Arizona Wildcats)
On October 17, 2015, the Finnish superstar gave a verbal commitment to play for the Arizona Wildcats. After that, on November 11, he signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Arizona.
Before he entered the league, he had the reputation of being a collegiate player who only played for one team. When he arrived in Phoenix, he was the first player to wear the No. 10 jersey since Mike Bibby left the team.
Because of this, Lauri had some very large shoes to fill, and the 7-footer ended up doing an excellent job of doing so.
On January 12, Markkanen enjoyed his collegiate career-high against Arizona State, which is a rival school in the same state.
On that night, he poured in 30 points against their opponent from the same state. As a result of his outstanding performance during the previous year, he was named to the Third-Team All-America, the First-Team All-Pac-12, and the Pac-12 All-Freshman team.
In addition to that, he competed for the John R. Wooden Award and was one of the top 15 finalists.
Markkanen finished his one and only year with the Wildcats averaging 15.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per contest. After that year, he made the decision to enter his name into the upcoming NBA Draft in 2017.
Career in the NBA
At the 2017 NBA draught, the Minnesota Timberwolves selected Lauri Markkanen with the seventh overall pick overall.
On the night of the draught, he was involved in a transaction that ultimately led to him being shipped to Chicago.
The blockbuster deal resulted in the Minnesota Timberwolves acquiring Jimmy Butler and the rights to Justin Patton in exchange for Zach Lavine, Kris Dunn, and Lauri Markkaenen being shipped to the Chicago Bulls from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The official signing took place on July 5th, 2017, between Lauri and the Chicago Bulls.
On October 19, Markkanen made his debut in the NBA, providing excitement for the Chicago Bulls. Despite the supporters’ outpouring of grief over the departure of Jimmy Butler, Markkanen did not waste any time stepping up to the plate.
In his debut, Lauri poured in 17 points. After that, he went on to set a record in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the most three-pointers made in a player’s first three games in the NBA with 10.
It was against the New York Knicks that he had his first 30-point game and, at the time, his career high. Markkanen suffered a 33-point loss on December 30, 2017, as a direct result of the likes on eight three-point shots.
Markkanen didn’t just have one amazing game in his rookie season; he had many of them, which helped him win a spot on the first team of the NBA’s All-Rookie Team.
Markkanen was only in his second NHL season when he suffered an injury that forced him to sit out the first 23 games of the 2018-2019 campaign.
After making his comeback, Lauri set a new career high in rebounds on January 28 against the Brooklyn Nets by grabbing a total of 19 boards in the game. Markkanen established a new high point total for his career not long after that performance, scoring 35 points in a victory over the Boston Celtics.
Again, unfortunately, on March 28 it was determined that Lauri would not be able to play again this season owing to her injuries.
During the 2018–19 season, he appeared in a total of 52 games and managed to record an average of 18.7 points and 9 rebounds per contest.
Markkanen made a strong return in the first game of the 2019-20 season, which was avenging his previous season. He performed as though he had something to prove, which, to the majority of people, he very certainly did.
Markkanen tied the previous high point total for his career with 35 points and added 17 rebounds to go along with it.
After Michael Jordan, a member of the Chicago Bulls scored the most points on opening day with this performance. Again owing to injuries, Markkanen has been sidelined for a significant amount of time this season.
Lauri Markkanen: Net Worth (2023)
During the 2019-20 NBA season, Markkanen is projected to earn $5,300,400 in salary. Markkanen has amassed a total of $13,658,160 throughout his career that spans three years. His current deal with the Chicago Bulls is for $20,389,668 over the course of four years.
The world-famous athlete from Finland was able to secure a multiyear contract with Nike, but the financial details of the arrangement are being kept confidential.
In 2017, the Chicago Bulls and Lauri Markkanen came to an agreement on a contract that was worth $5.3 million over four years.
Lauri Markkanen: Private Life
The Markkanen family has a long and illustrious history of athletic achievement. As the son of Finnish basketball players Pekka and Rikke Markkanen, Lauri was bound to follow in his parents’ footsteps and become a baller.
Another one of his brothers, Eero Markkanen, plays soccer professionally as well. The combination of his exceptionally athletic gene pool and his remarkable 7-foot physique gave him a superb foundation upon which to build a successful career.
The native Finn spent his entire childhood in Finland, where he was born and raised, before moving to the United States in 2016 to compete for the Arizona Wildcats. He has been married to Verna Ago since 2018, when they became parents to a son they had together.
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Lauri Markkanen: Age, Height and Weight
Lauri has reached the age of 25, she has a height of 6 feet and 11 inches, and she weighs 109 kilogrammes.
His Body Mass Index, which is also known as BMI, is 24, which is normal for him. In addition, Markkanen’s height and lean build provide him an advantage over the greatest players in the NBA, making it easier for him to compete with them.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Lauri Elias Markkanen |
| Date of Birth | May 22, 1997 |
| Age | 25 |
| Birth Place | Vantaa, Finland |
| Nickname | Magic Markkanen, The Finisher |
| Religion | Christian |
| Nationality | Finnish |
| Ethnicity | Finnish |
| Education | University of Arizona |
| Father’s Name | Pekka Markkanen |
| Mother’s Name | Riikka Ellonen |
| Siblings | 1 (Eero Markkanen) |
| Zodiac Sign | Gemini |
| Height | 6 feet 11 inches (211cm) |
| Weight | 240 lbs (109 kg) |
| Hair Color | Blonde |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Build | Athlete |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife | Verna Aho |
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
| Profession | Basketball player |
| Professional Career Teams | Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Position | Small forward/ Power forward |
| Drafted In | 2017 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7th Overall |
| League | NBA |
| Playing Career | 2014 – present |
| Net Worth | $3 million |
| Salary | $4,536,120 |
| Merch | Trading Card |
| Social Media | Twitter, Instagram |
| Last Update | February, 2023 |
