SALT LAKE CITY — For former Chicago Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen, NBA All-Star Weekend felt like a coming-out party.
“I’m just soaking it all in,” Markkanen said during All-Star media day Saturday. “The experience is definitely a little bit different when you’re actually part of the All-Star Game, but being in your hometown, it feels great. The amount of people that are supporting here, it’s great.”
He produced consistently for the Bulls in his first four seasons in the league but never lived up to the hopes of a No. 7 pick in the 2017 draft. After he left Chicago in a trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers, he suffered a stagnant season heightened by a poor fit on the roster.