By far the highest-earning Finnish athlete will get used to a new kind of life starting next week.
Lauri Markkanen arrives in Finland from America to do his military service. ZumaWire / MVPHOTOS
Lauri Markkanen, who will start his conscript service next week, will receive the same amount of money as all other recruits to spend on donuts at the military home.
This is, of course, in the event that in the mess, shopping is only done with daily allowance.
Markkanen, who enters the military service at the Sports School with the defense forces, naturally does not get any special treatment in Santahamina, even though his bank account is bigger than anyone else’s.
The daily allowance goes to the account as much as to others. The amount is not set in stone. Currently, the daily allowance is 5 euros and 40 cents. The amount has been increased from last year by 20 cents.
If Markkanen completes his military service in half a year (165 per day), he will be paid a daily allowance of 891 euros.
The amount will increase if Markkanen does his military service longer. On days 166–255 of military service, the daily allowance is nine and 256–347 is 12.50 euros.
Daily allowance
Daily allowance is paid into the bank account twice a month on Fridays. Per diem is paid for each day of service, including days off and holidays. Days of service do not include personal sick leave (HSL) holidays or unauthorized absence from service.
Source: Conscript 2023
Military service is equal for all who perform it, regardless of personal wealth. The situation with Markkanen is interesting.
The Utah Jazz’s star player has been playing in the NBA since 2017. The players’ earnings in the basketball league are astronomical. Markkanen’s current contract guarantees him an annual income of almost 17 million dollars. According to Hoopshype 25-year-old Markkanen has already earned a whopping 36 million dollars in his career.