Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Lauri Markkanen

Discover the career path of Lauri Markkanen, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Lauri Elias Markkanen, nicknamed "the Finnisher", is a Finnish professional basketball player currently playing for the Utah Jazz in the NBA. He also represents the Finland national team. Born into a basketball family, both his parents, Pekka and Riikka Markkanen, were basketball players. He is also the younger brother of footballer Eero Markkanen.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1967: Finland's Quarterfinal Appearance

In 2022, Lauri Markkanen's performance at the EuroBasket led to Finland's first quarterfinal appearance in 55 years, with the last one being in 1967.

1995: Most opening-day points by a Chicago Bull

Markkanen began the season tying a career-high with 35 points along with 17 rebounds in a one-point loss to the Charlotte Hornets, the most opening-day points by a Chicago Bull since Michael Jordan in 1995.

2014: Joins Helsinki Basketball Academy

In 2014, Lauri Markkanen moved to Helsinki and joined the Helsinki Basketball Academy, also playing for the academy team HBA-Märsky in the Finnish second-tier league.

October 2015: Commitment to Arizona Wildcats

On 17 October 2015, Lauri Markkanen verbally committed to the NCAA Division I squad Arizona Wildcats for the 2016–17 season.

2015: Basketball Without Borders Camp

In 2015, Lauri Markkanen attended the Basketball Without Borders camp.

2015: FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship Debut

In 2015, Lauri Markkanen made his international debut with the Finnish U-18 national team at the FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship, averaging 18.2 points per game and becoming the tournament's top scorer.

2015: FIBA U18 EuroBasket Tournament

In 2015, Lauri Markkanen represented Finland at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket tournament, becoming the top scorer.

2016: Plays for HBA-Märsky

From 2014 to 2016, Lauri Markkanen played for the academy team HBA-Märsky in the Finnish second-tier league.

2016: FIBA U20 EuroBasket Tournament

In 2016, Lauri Markkanen again represented Finland, this time at the FIBA U20 EuroBasket tournament, and was once again the top scorer.

2016: FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship

In 2016, Lauri Markkanen was the top scorer at the FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship for Finland U20, averaging 24.9 points per game and being named to the All-Tournament Team.

2016: Signs Letter of Intent to Arizona

On 11 November 2016, Lauri Markkanen signed a letter of intent to play for the Arizona Wildcats.

January 2017: Recognized as Top Shooting 7-Footer and Receives Accolades

In January 2017, SB Nation called Lauri Markkanen "the best shooting 7-footer college basketball has ever seen." That same month, he was selected as Pac-12 Player of the Week and Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week and was added to multiple award watchlists.

March 2017: Career High Blocks Against Arizona State

On 4 March 2017, Lauri Markkanen recorded a career-high three blocks against Arizona State in the regular season finale.

July 2017: Signs with Chicago Bulls

On 5 July 2017, Lauri Markkanen signed a four-year rookie scale contract with the Chicago Bulls worth $20.4 million.

October 2017: NBA Debut and Record

On 19 October 2017, Lauri Markkanen made his NBA debut with the Bulls, scoring 17 points. On 24 October 2017, Markkanen set an NBA record for most 3-pointers in the first three games of an NBA career with ten 3-pointers.

2017: Declares for NBA Draft

At the conclusion of his freshman season in 2017, Lauri Markkanen announced his intention to enter the 2017 NBA draft, foregoing his remaining college eligibility.

2017: NBA Draft and Trade

In 2017, Lauri Markkanen was selected seventh overall in the NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves and then traded to the Chicago Bulls for Jimmy Butler.

2017: Signs shoe deal with Nike

In 2017, after being drafted, Lauri Markkanen signed a multi-year sponsorship shoe deal with Nike.

2017: EuroBasket Tournament

In EuroBasket 2017, Lauri Markkanen played with the Finland senior national team, leading them to the round of 16 by averaging 19.5 points and 5.7 rebounds over 6 games.

January 2018: Becomes Finland's Leading NBA Scorer

After scoring seventeen points against the Milwaukee Bucks on 28 January 2018, Markkanen surpassed Hanno Möttölä to become the career leading scorer among NBA players from Finland.

January 2018: Career-High Performance Against the New York Knicks

On 10 January 2018, Lauri Markkanen played a career-high 46 minutes, scored a career-high 33 points, and made a career-high eight 3-pointers in a double overtime win against the New York Knicks, becoming only the second seven-foot player to achieve this.

May 2018: Named to NBA All-Rookie First Team

On 22 May 2018, Lauri Markkanen was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team after leading the Bulls in rebounds and finishing fourth in scoring during his rookie season.

January 2021: Season-High Score Against Trail Blazers

On 30 January 2021, Lauri Markkanen scored a season-high 31 points in a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

August 2021: Traded to Cleveland Cavaliers

On 28 August 2021, Lauri Markkanen was acquired by the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team sign-and-trade deal. He signed a four-year contract worth $67.5 million.

March 18, 2022: Season-High Performance Against Nuggets

On March 18, 2022, Lauri Markkanen scored a season-high 31 points, alongside ten rebounds and four steals, in a win over the Denver Nuggets.

September 2022: Traded to Utah Jazz

On 1 September 2022, Lauri Markkanen was traded to the Utah Jazz.

2022: Recorded 28 double-doubles

During the 2022-2023 NBA season, Lauri Markkanen recorded 28 double-doubles in 66 games played, making it his single-season's record.

2022: EuroBasket Tournament and Record-Setting Performance

In EuroBasket 2022, during the Round of 16, Lauri Markkanen scored 43 points to lead Finland to a win over Croatia, setting a new all-time record for a Finnish player at the EuroBasket.

2022: Previous record

On August 8, 2025, Lauri Markkanen scored a career-high 48 points, going 17-from-23 from the field, in a 105–62 friendly win over Belgium in the preparation for EuroBasket 2025. He set a Finland national team record, surpassing his own previous record from 2022.

January 2023: Career-High Points and All-Star Selection

On 5 January 2023, Lauri Markkanen scored a then career-high 49 points against the Houston Rockets. On 2 February 2023, he was named to his first NBA All-Star game, becoming the first NBA All-Star born in a Nordic country.

November 2023: Season-High Performance and Injury

In November 2023, Lauri Markkanen scored a season-high 38 points and grabbed a season-high 17 rebounds against the Phoenix Suns. He then suffered a hamstring injury.

December 2023: Returns to Line-up

In December 2023, Lauri Markkanen returned to the Jazz line-up after missing eight games due to a hamstring injury.

December 2023: Extended deal with Nike

In December 2023, Lauri Markkanen signed an extended and upgraded deal with Nike, which included customized personal edition shoes featuring "LM23" and "Finnisher" on each heel.

December 2023: Reported Trade Availability

On 15 December 2023, it was reported that Lauri Markkanen was no longer considered "untouchable" by the Jazz, opening up potential trade possibilities.

2023: All-Star Selection and Most Improved Player Award

In 2023, Lauri Markkanen earned his first All-Star selection and won the NBA Most Improved Player Award after a career resurgence with the Utah Jazz. He also led Finland in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup tournament.

2023: FIBA World Cup

In the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Lauri Markkanen averaged 24.8 points and 8 rebounds over five games, but Finland finished 21st out of 32 teams.

January 2024: Western Conference Player of the Week and Commitment from Jazz

In January 2024, Lauri Markkanen was named the NBA Western Conference Player of the Week for the first time in his career. It was also reported that the Jazz were committed to building around Markkanen long-term.

August 2024: Signs Contract Extension with Jazz

On 7 August 2024, Lauri Markkanen signed a five-year contract extension with the Jazz worth $238 million, becoming the highest earning Finnish athlete ever.

August 8, 2025: Career-High Score Against Belgium

On August 8, 2025, Lauri Markkanen scored a career-high 48 points in a friendly win over Belgium, setting a new Finland national team record.

2025: EuroBasket Tournament

At the EuroBasket 2025, Lauri Markkanen led Finland to a historic semi-final appearance, ultimately finishing 4th. He surpassed 500 points scored in his EuroBasket career and was named to the All-Tournament Second Team.