Despite not quite reaching the honors of an NBA All-Star this season, the Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen still managed to be a part of the prestigious weekend during Saturday's Starry 3-Point Contest. It was his second year in a row appearing in the competition, this time stationed in Indianapolis.
Markkanen spoke at Media Day ahead of the contest on Saturday, where he was able to shed a bit of light on what it means to be a part of NBA All-Star Weekend while representing his home country of Finland:
"I take a lot of pride in representing Finland. Really trying to push the game forward in Finland as well, just playing in the NBA. It's really a big deal for me to represent the country every summer, but at the same time in the NBA. So, I take a lot of pride in that."
Markkanen has remained consistent with his strong efforts to represent his Finnish roots throughout his seven-year NBA career. Just last offseason, headlines surfaced surrounding Lauri opting to complete his mandatory military service throughout the summer to fulfill his citizenship obligations. The pride for his country runs deep.
While his night didn't end with a victory in the 3-Point Contest, Markkanen still posted a respectable performance. He wound up with a score of 25 in the first round, which was good for fifth place in the competition. In the end, it was Damian Lillard who took home the win for the competition, good for his second victory in a row.
With All-Star now behind us and the final stretch of the season ahead of us, the focus for Markkanen and the rest of the Jazz roster will be to get back on track in the Play-In race with hopes of reaching a top ten seed in the Western Conference by year's end.
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