2) Markkanen grew up in Jyväskylä in Finland where he played for the Finnish team, HBA-Märsky from 2014-2016.
3) Lauri is one of the top rookies in the NBA this season. To start his career, he set the NBA rookie record by making ten 3-pointers in his first three games.
D: Do you have a favorite fruit, vegetable and dairy product?
LM: Bananas. I don't eat dairy.
D's Follow Up: I sort of like bananas. I eat them but they are not my favorite. Strawberries are my favorite fruit.
J: At what age did you start playing basketball?
LM: I started playing at 6 years old.
J's Follow Up: I started watching sports and playing sports when I was six years old too. He was probably my size now when he was six years old because he's so tall.
We were excited to meet one of the young star players for the Chicago Bulls, Lauri Markkanen, on Saturday, December 2nd. The boys and I typically decide how far we'll travel to meet an athlete based on how good we think they will be and how big of a fan we are of the athlete. We think Markkanen has a chance to be great and we have been impressed by the way he plays the game in his short time in Chicago. When we heard he would be making his first public appearance at Mongo McMichael's restaurant in Romeoville, we thought we would take the opportunity and go on the adventure. With Mongo McMichael's located an hour from home, we ventured out on the road and left the house with high expectations.
As we arrived, we were surprised that it wasn't too busy and it looked like the boys would get some individual attention from Lauri. We are not sure exactly why the event unfolded the way it did but it was the quickest we were ever sent through the line at an autograph signing that we can remember. We understand that Lauri's English is a work in progress but he didn't seem too thrilled to be there and the workers at the event pushed us through as quickly as they could. He and the Bulls had recently finished playing back to back nights against Denver and Sacramento on Thursday and Friday, so we can understand if he was a little exhausted from the games. Both were heart breaking one point losses too. With roughly 50 fans in attendance and Markkanen scheduled to sign for an hour, it seemed like the boys would have time to say hi and potentially take a picture with him. That wasn't the case.
We enjoyed the atmosphere at Mongo McMichael's restaurant and we give their cheese pizza two thumbs up. The venue was the perfect place for the signing and the boys and I made our way to the party room where we were ticket #35. Danny started off by saying hi and asked his typical healthy food question. We are not sure how much English he understands but he did mention he likes bananas. We were thankful to get that response. He chose not to share his favorite vegetable and he also noted he does not eat dairy. Jordan jumped in to ask Lauri when he started playing basketball as they were moving us along and he noted he was six years old. We imagine that a six year old Lauri Markkanen is probably the size of a typical 10-11 year old because he now stands at a towering seven feet tall!
We are fans of Lauri as a basketball player and we choose to believe that the people in charge of the signing were the ones who wanted to move the fans along and were in a bad mood. They did have hundreds of items located in the back that they wanted him to sign that they will sell off in the future. Luckily for us, we are treated great during most athlete appearances and we leave with great memories. The boys noted that they did enjoy taking their first trip to Romeoville and we had fun hanging at Mongo's restaurant. We wish Lauri and the young Bulls much success in the future!
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