HELSINKI, Finland -- Life-sized cardboard cutouts scattered throughout the city. No. 23 Finland jerseys flooding the 13,000-plus seats of Helsinki Arena. Red and black Chicago Bulls gear occasionally peering through the sea of blue and white.
And, most prominently, one 7-foot figurine that has stood in the middle of the city center during the 2017 Eurobasket. With curly hair, a cut frame, Kobe 8 Nikes and a mediocre wingspan, it's an exact carbon copy of Finland's youngest star.
"I haven't seen that one," Lauri Markkanen said as he analyzed a photo of his 7-foot plastic clone.