When I sat down with Lauri Markkanen for Scoop B Radio back in 2017, the atmosphere around the Chicago Bulls was shifting in real-time. The “Three Alphas” era—headlined by Jimmy Butler, Rajon Rondo, and Dwyane Wade—had officially dissolved. Just as Markkanen, the promising 7-foot rookie from Finland, was preparing to step onto the United Center floor, his childhood idol was heading out the door to join LeBron James in Cleveland.

Looking back at that moment in December 2025, it’s clear that while Markkanen missed the chance to share a locker room with “Flash,” the departure of the veterans provided the necessary oxygen for his own flame to ignite.

The Childhood Idol

In 2017, Markkanen was candid with me about his admiration for Wade. “I grew up being a huge Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant fan,” he told me. He recounted being glued to his TV in Finland during the 2006 NBA Finals, watching Wade average nearly 35 points per game to lead the Heat to a title. For a kid in Helsinki, Wade wasn’t just a player; he was the standard for execution and impact.

The irony wasn’t lost on anyone: Markkanen had arrived in Chicago to learn from the very man who inspired him to pick up a basketball, only for Wade to secure a buyout and move on before they could play a single regular-season minute together.

2025 Vision: The Anatomy of a Breakout

By 2025, Lauri Markkanen has transformed from a “stretch-four” rookie into a perennial All-Star and the face of a franchise. The sheer talent density of that 2017 Bulls transition period was the foundation for the “Finnisher” we see today. His growth followed a championship-level hierarchy:

• The MVPs (The Modern Big): Lauri’s ability to move off screens and play “guard basketball” at 7 feet tall. He told me in 2017, “I played guard my whole life,” a skill set that has now become the blueprint for the position in 2025.
• The Snipers (The “Fred Hoiberg” Era): Under then-coach Fred Hoiberg, Markkanen was given a green light that a veteran-heavy team would have never afforded him. He was the “sniper” the Bulls needed to kickstart their rebuild.
• The Defensive Anchors (Resilience Through Change): Despite the coaching carousels and trades that followed, Lauri’s mental toughness—forged in that uncertain 2017 rookie season—allowed him to survive the “Boylen era” and eventually thrive in Utah.

The “What If” That Defined a Career

In 2017, many Bulls fans wondered if Markkanen’s development would be hindered without a veteran like Wade to guide him. But as I noted on Scoop B Radio, the “Young Hoiberg” team was built for a player like Lauri. He didn’t have to wait in line behind established stars; he was thrust into the fire immediately.

He broke records for the fastest player to hit 100 three-pointers and proved that he could handle the “American game” just as well as the European one. Wade may have been his idol, but the space Wade left behind was exactly what Markkanen needed to find his own identity.

The Final Scoop: Respect the Growth

Revisiting this 2017 story in 2025 reminds us that sometimes, the best mentorship is the opportunity to lead. Dwyane Wade gave Lauri the inspiration, but the Chicago Bulls gave him the platform.

“I wanted to challenge myself to be better,” Markkanen told me years ago. In 2025, he has met that challenge and then some. He may not have played with Wade in Chi-Town, but he certainly played like the version of Wade he grew up watching: super quick, impactful, and always ready for the big dance.