Susijengi's NBA Hidden Gem
The Finnish national basketball team was the protagonist of an unprecedented FIBA EuroBasket run. Lassi Tuovi’s men managed to reach the quarter-finals, getting beaten by a mere 10 points by eventual champions Spain. We are very excited to offer fans the opportunity to bid on the worn and signed jerseys of this legendary team. It is also essential to emphasise that the proceeds of what goes under the hammer, will be devolved to the Finnish charity ‘We Deliver Fund’.
The FIBA EuroBasket competition is the most important national basketball tournament only after the Olympics. Talents from across Europe go head to head to find out who is the best European national team and who is the best player. This year, the competition included three All-NBA First Team superstars being Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokoumnpo, and Luka Doncic, which made the tournament one of the most thrilling and competitive in its history.
Much of Susijengi’s achievements were thanks to NBA Utah Jazz power forward Lauri Markkanen. As a matter of fact, in the round of 16 against Croatia, the Finnish team defeated their opponents by 8 points, with Markkanen scoring an extremely impressive 43 points and leading the team in the other two counting stats with 9 rebounds and 3 assists. Markkanen also shined in the quarter-final, recording a double-double with 28 points and 11 rebounds, but unfortunately, the team was not able to overcome the Spaniards, who ended up winning by 10 points.
Markkanen had the second highest points per game average of the tournament with 27.9, behind Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo who had 28.3, in addition, he was also a well-rounded double threat, being ninth in rebounding with 8.1. Some of the most impactful of his teammates were Maxhuni, who led the team in assists per game, Sasu Salin, who had the highest points per game average behind Markkanen with 12, and Mikael Jantunen, who averaged the most rebounds per game, again behind Markkanen, with 4. We also cannot forget to pay tribute to two Finnish players who have retired following the end of the competition, being Petteri Koponen and Shawn Huff.
The proceeds gained from the jerseys will be given to the 'We Deliver Fund', a joint venture between Basketball Finland, PostNord Oy, and the Finnish Basketball Foundation, which has the objective to provide scholarships and financial support towards basketball-related expenses for financially disadvantaged families with children.
We strongly believe that it is fundamental to give every individual, especially the younger generations, an opportunity to play sports, irrespective of who they are and their financial circumstances and status.