Lauri Markkanen’s big dream of the NBA all-star game will come true at the end of February.
The NBA All-Star Game will be played at 3 a.m. Finnish time on February 20. Jussi Eskola
Basketball star Lauri Markkanen has been selected for the NBA’s all-star game to be played at the end of February. Markkanen, who represents the Utah Jazz, will be seen in the all-star game, among other things LeBron James’s, Stephen Curry’s and Luka Dončić’s alongside world stars like
Markkanen did not fit in the opening five voted by the fans, but the NBA coaches chose him to complete the bench of the 12-person All Stars crews. The selections were published around two o’clock in the morning Finnish time.
The NBA All-Star Game starters, i.e. three frontcourt and two backcourt players from each conference, were chosen based on public vote, NBA players and media votes. The fans had 50 percent of the voting power, the players and the media both 25 percent.
James, Dončić, Curry, Nikola Jokic and Zion Williamson. Those who collected the most votes came from the east Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kyrie Irving, Donovan Mitchell, Kevin Durant and Jayson Tatum.
The players who received the most votes, James and Antetokounmpo, in the role of captain, picked the players for their teams in turn just before the start of the match. First they select the players voted for the opening, after which they move on to select substitutes.
Although the sporting value of the star match is low, its importance for the personal brand of the selected players is enormous. The value of the brand is naturally measured in money, and the All Stars selection can serve as a workhorse in future contract negotiations.
– Although we are talking about the opinion of fans and coaches – i.e. it is not a factual statistic, as a result of which you become an All Star player – it is still important financially and as a status symbol, the Finnish basketball legend Hanno Möttölä says.
– Branding and personal image are big things. It may sound quite foreign to us in Finland, because we don’t have money in sports here. There are no name-brand shoes or anything else, but in the big world, such a choice still matters a lot.
This year, the All-Star Game event will be held in Utah Jazz’s home city of Salt Lake City from the 17th to the 19th. February. Finnish time, the star match will be played on February 20 at three o’clock in the morning.