As if 2023 wasn’t enough of a year for Lauri Markkanen, he can now add another honor to his growing list.
Markkanen was named Finland’s Athlete of the Year in 2023.
“It was really amazing,” Markkanen said of the win. “This is a very prestigious award in the Finnish sports world. Not many athletes in team sports have earned this award. Just being on the list makes it that much more meaningful.”
He became the first basketball player to win the award and the fifth team sports player to win the award.
The country’s most prestigious sports award, the Sports Journalists Association (Finland), has been awarding the title of Athlete of the Year since 1947. A list of 10 finalists will be created and association members with press cards will be able to vote. It is estimated that 1 million people out of the country’s population of 5.5 million watched the Finnish Sports Gala on television.
Markkanen received 1,998 votes and 126 first-place votes. Pole vaulter Wilma Murt came in second place with 1,879 votes (48 first place votes), and rally driver Kalle Rovanpera came in third place with 1,645 votes (29 first place votes).
Markkanen was unable to attend the celebration due to the NBA season, so his parents Pekka and Rikka attended in his place. Both Pekka and Rikka are professional basketball players, and Pekka was named Finland’s Basketball Player of the Year in 1989, 1993, and 1996. He has two brothers, both of whom are professional athletes. Miikka is a former professional basketball player and Eero is a professional soccer player.
“Of course I would have liked to have been with them (my parents), but I’ll take what I get,” Markkanen said. “I just want to make my family proud. It was a big moment for me to see them there and get to know them. …I was touched by the emotional look on my dad’s face. I received it, but I had never seen anything like that before.”
“As we found out this morning, winning that award meant a lot to him,” Utah head coach Will Hardy said Thursday. “It was great to come here and see it and share a little bit of that moment with him. In terms of humility and how he carries himself every day, he’s the same person he was when he got here at the beginning of last year. .”
“Now we have to figure out how to get to Finland.”
The Jyväskylä native has been a revelation for the Jazz since the organization acquired him in a September 2022 trade with Cleveland. Since that moment, all he has accomplished is to emerge as one of the NBA’s best forwards and a leader on many of the Jazz teams. He believes the team is ahead of schedule on the rebuild that began last year.
The seventh-year forward had a breakout season last year, being selected to his first All-Star Game and being named the starter. He also won the NBA Player of the Year award.
As Utah’s No. 1 option last season, he averaged points (25.6), shot attempts (17.3), field goal percentage (49.9%), free throw percentage (87.5%), and assists (1.9). , minutes played (34.4). He also averaged 8.6 rebounds per game, shot 39.2 percent from 3-point range and 58.6 percent from the field, both the second-highest of his career. He also became the first player in league history to make 200 threes and 100 dunks in a season.
He continued his tremendous growth this year, averaging 23.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game, proving that last season was no fluke. Despite being plagued by numerous injuries and being the focus of every opponent’s scouting report, Markkanen shot 48.8 percent from the floor, 38.6 percent from three, and 86.7 percent from the free throw line. ing.
On Oct. 30 against Denver, Markkanen became the NBA’s all-time leader in most career games by making at least five threes for a 7-footer. He has done so 39 times in his career, 18 times in a Jazz uniform, and six times this season.
“I didn’t think we could win until we connected the dots,” Markkanen said. “I think overall it was between the three athletes, so I wasn’t really sure. … I had high hopes and I’m glad it happened this year.”
“I’m really happy for him,” Hardy said. “Their country is very proud of Lauri and should be. We are very proud of Lauri. He has had a really tough time over the last 15, 16 months. … I’m really happy with how he handles me every day.” ”
In addition to his NBA career, Markkanen was also a star for the Finnish national team. He led the team to 2 wins and 3 losses at the 2023 FIBA World Cup this summer, finishing third with 24.8 points per game.
“I’m not satisfied,” Markkanen said. “I have high expectations for myself and I try to meet them every night and help the team that way. … I’m just trying to do whatever I can.”
“I don’t know what Lori’s ceiling is. … I don’t think any of us know, but we certainly haven’t seen it yet,” Hardy added.