The 2023 NBA All-Star and millionaire Lauri Markkanen has a deep love for his native country, Finland and there is no doubt about it. The 25-year-old showed no hesitation to serve the mandatory military service in his country, and this was a testament to his love for his homeland. Recently, the Utah Jazz forward spilled some beans while giving an answer to the NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal’s question related to his military service.

The Big Diesel has a unique personality. He is quite outspoken and apparently never thinks much before asking someone any kind of question or weighing in on a particular topic. Recently, Shaq asked a question to the 2023 NBA All-Star and got a reply that might amuse a lot of basketball fans.

Lauri Markkanen spill some beans while answering Shaquille O’Neal’s straightforward question

Markkanen is now proudly serving his country by joining the military service. However, it seems like he took some time out as he recently joined the crew of the NBA on TNT. Ernie Johnson kicked off the latest segment of the NBA on TNT by announcing that Markkanen was the 2023 NBA’s Most Improved Player. Subsequently, he asked about his thoughts, which, in turn, prompted the 25-year-old to say he was feeling amazing.

Shaq also joined in to congratulate him before asking him a question. The four-time champion asked, “Now that you’re in the military base, does the military personnel come up to you and try to get a 1-on-1 game?… Do they try to play basketball with you?”

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Markkanen responded by saying, “After we’re done with the day, just guys want to challenge me on a 1-on-1 and stuff like that. But not any higher-up ranks have challenged me yet. So, we’ll see, if we get to that.”

It seems like a few have shown the courage to play some ball and have fun with him on the court but none of them were from the higher ranks. Following this revelation, the 2023 NBA All-Star went on to give an update on how things are going on after joining the military service.

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Markkannen talks about his life as a soldier

Johnson asked the Utah Jazz forward what he was doing on a day-to-day basis as a soldier. The 25-year-old replied, “Days are pretty long and we wake up early – go for probably 10 – 12 hours straight. But it’s been fun – getting to know a lot of new guys, making some new friends and you have to go through it together. So, it’s actually been pretty good.”

The 2023 Most Improved Player is surely spending some quality and having tons of fun in his homeland as a soldier.

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What are your thoughts on Lauri Markkanen’s MIP award? Let us know in the comments below!