Lauri Markkanen is officially an All-Star.
The Utah Jazz forward was named an NBA All-Star reserve Thursday, giving Utah a home team participant in this year’s All-Star game, which will be played in Salt Lake City on Feb. 19.
This is the first All-Star appearance for Markkanen, was voted a reserve by the NBA’s 30 coaches. Markkanen will compete for the West All-Star team.
A former All-American at Arizona, Markkanen has seen his NBA career take off in his first season with the Jazz. The 25-year-old is averaging 24.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game for the Jazz, who entered Thursday in ninth place in the Western Conference.