CLEVELAND -- Chicago Bulls rookie Lauri Markkanen fulfilled a childhood dream during Tuesday night's 119-112 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers by squaring off against the man he used to cheer for as a kid: LeBron James.
"First of all, it's a dream come true for me," Markkanen said. "Because he was my favorite player growing up. To get to go against him, he's a pretty tough guy to guard."
Markkanen proved to be pretty tough himself in the first half, scoring 17 of his 19 points. After just three games, Markkanen has started opening eyes all over the league, but James has known the University of Arizona product has been good for a while.