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Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen has revealed that he intends to fulfill his mandatory military service in Finland this NBA offseason.
Markkanen has had a fantastic season for the Jazz, averaging 25.6 points and 8.6 rebounds. The Jazz had a tough loss against the Los Angeles Lakers in a thrilling overtime game with a final score of 135-133 on Tuesday night. Still, the team is 12th in the Western Conference with a 36-43 record and have an outside chance of qualifying for the Play-in.
Utah will play the Oklahoma City Thunder at home on Thursday night, and a win could possibly land them back in the playoff picture. Either way, depending upon how the rest of the campaign goes, Markkanen will report for service on April 17 or sometime in July. The base he is scheduled to report to is in the southern part of Helsinki.
Speaking to ESPN, the 25-year-old revealed that it was mandatory to complete military service for male Finnish citizens before turning 30. He said:
"It's mandatory, we have to do it, but at the same time we take pride in it, too. I think it sets an example to serve. And I'm confident I can do it in a way that it's not going to affect my preparation for next season, either."
Utah Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen confident that military service will not interfere with fitness
Lauri Markkanen postponed his military service while in college at the University of Arizona and when he had commitments with the Finnish national team. He intended to serve last season, but the Cleveland Cavaliers made the play-in tournament, which conflicted with his reporting date.
Markkanen’s longtime agent Michael Lelchitski has said that completing military service is important to ensure that the NBA star is not getting preferential treatment just because of his fame. He said:
"Lauri has always said he was going to do this. It's important for him as a citizen to fulfill his civic duty and not have any kind of preferential treatment just because he is a famous athlete."
While Utah Jazz fans might be concerned, Markkanen is confident that reporting for the service will not interfere with his fitness. He said:
"Of course I'd rather be working out like I normally do [in the offseason], but I've heard they do a good job of combining the two. You're able to do your job working as an athlete and your basic training at the same time."
He will be joining a group of fellow professional/amateur athletes who will also be looking to complete their mandatory military service
Guess the Lakers players!
