Wikipedia

Mikael Jantunen

Mikael Olli Axel Jantunen (born 20 April 2000)[1] is a Finnish professional basketball player for Paris Basketball of the French LNB Élite and the EuroLeague, and for the Finland national team. He played college basketball for the Utah Utes.

Mikael Jantunen
Jantunen with Paris in 2024
No. 20 – Paris Basketball
PositionPower forward
LeagueLNB Pro A
EuroLeague
Personal information
Born (2000-04-20) 20 April 2000 (age 24)
Helsinki, Finland
Listed height2.04 m (6 ft 8 in)
Listed weight100 kg (220 lb)
Career information
High schoolHelsinki Basketball Academy
(Helsinki, Finland)
CollegeUtah (2019–2021)
Playing career2016–present
Career history
2016–2019HBA-Märsky
2021–2022Oostende
2022–2023Treviso
2023–presentParis Basketball
Career highlights and awards

Early life and career

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Jantunen grew up in Vuosaari, Helsinki[2][3] and initially played football before switching to basketball at the age of 11. He started basketball in a youth team of a local club Wartti Basket.[4] Jantunen competed for HBA-Märsky in Finnish second-tier Koripallon I-divisioona from 2016 to 2019, while attending the Helsinki Basketball Academy.[5] In October 2018, Jantunen committed to Utah over offers from Loyola Marymount, Oregon State, Georgia Tech, and Stanford.[6]

College career

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Jantunen playing for Utah in 2020

Jantunen started three games as a freshman and averaged 6.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.[7] He suffered a fractured nose in December 2020, forcing him to wear a protective mask.[8] On 9 January 2021, Jantunen scored a career-high 20 points in a 79–73 loss to Oregon.[9] As a sophomore, Jantunen averaged 8.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. Following the season, he opted to turn professional.[10]

Professional career

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Oostende (2021–2022)

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On 23 July 2021, Jantunen signed with Filou Oostende of the BNXT League and the Basketball Champions League.[11] At the end of the season, he won the BNXT League Sixth Man of the Year award, as well as the Belgian championship with Oostende.

Treviso (2022–2023)

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On 14 June 2022, Jantunen was announced by Italian club Treviso Basket of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) on a two-year deal.[12][13] After one season with Treviso, Jantunen terminated his contract with the club.[14] During the season, he had played 29 games in the Italian league, scoring 8.2 points and grabbing 4.9 rebounds in 23.6 minutes per game.

Golden State Warriors (2023)

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On 28 June 2023, Jantunen was named in the Golden State Warriors squad for the 2023 NBA Summer League.[15] He averaged 7.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in 18.0 min playing time in four games.[16][17]

Paris Basketball (2023–present)

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On 26 July 2023, he signed a two-year deal with Paris Basketball of the LNB Pro A and the EuroCup.[18] Jantunen and Paris became the LNB Pro A Leaders Cup champions in February 2024, by defeating Nanterre 90–85 in the final. In April 2024, Jantunen and Paris defeated French league rivals JL Bourge-en-Bresse in the 2024 EuroCup Finals by 2–0 and were crowned the EuroCup champions, thus earning a spot to the EuroLeague next season.[19] After placing 2nd in the regular season of the French League, Jantunen and Paris advanced to the 2024 Playoff Finals, where they were eventually defeated by AS Monaco 3–1 and finished as the season's runners-up.

On 4 October 2024, Jantunen debuted in the EuroLeague with Paris, recording nine points, six rebounds and two steals, in a 80–77 defeat against Crvena zvezda in the season opening match.[20] On 1 November, in a EuroLeague win over Baskonia, Jantunen received his second consecutive Player of the Game selection.[21]

National team career

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Jantunen played with Finland U16 at the 2016 FIBA U16 European Championship tournament. He was named in the Finland U17 roster at the 2016 FIBA U17 World Cup in Zaragoza, Spain, where he averaged 5.6 points and 6.1 rebounds in seven games. Jantunen also represented Finland at the 2018 FIBA U18 European Championship. He averaged 17 points, 10 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game, shooting 72.3 percent from the field.[6]

Jantunen played several games for the Finnish senior national team in the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 Qualifier round. He was forced to miss time with Utah in February 2021 to play in the matches.[22]

Jantunen was part of the Finland squad in the EuroBasket 2022, where Finland finished 7th, and the 2023 FIBA World Cup final tournament. He also played in the 2024 FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament in Valencia, Spain,[23] being named in the tournament's All-Star Five with 17.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3 assists per game over three matches against Bahamas, Poland and Spain.[24][25]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
† Denotes season in which Jantunen won the EuroCup

EuroLeague

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2024–25 Paris Basketball 11 11 26.5 .469 .444 .864 5.3 1.8 1.0 .2 9.0 12.8

EuroCup

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2023–24† Paris Basketball 23 14 21.0 .545 .415 .844 4.0 1.2 1.1 .2 7.9 11.1

FIBA Champions League

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021–22 Oostende 13 20.8 .508 .476 .600 4.1 .9 .4 .5 7.0

Domestic leagues

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Year Team League GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016–17   HBA-Märsky I-divisioona 27 16.3 .571 .167 .500 4.0 1.1 .7 .2 4.6
2017–18   HBA-Märsky I-divisioona 22 23.1 .643 .259 .687 8.5 2.0 1.8 .6 13.5
2018–19   HBA-Märsky I-divisioona 17 22.4 .617 .304 .727 7.4 2.0 1.7 .8 13.9
2021–22   Oostende BNXT 24 22.1 .595 .391 .838 5.1 .8 .9 .2 12.0
2022–23   Treviso LBA 29 23.6 .503 .380 .898 4.9 .7 .9 .3 8.2
2023–24   Paris LNB Élite 31 19.8 .484 .359 .811 3.6 1.1 .5 .2 7.2

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20 Utah 31 3 23.2 .661 .313 .733 4.9 1.1 .4 .3 6.7
2020–21 Utah 20 20 28.1 .600 .370 .857 4.5 1.5 .7 .1 8.9
Career 51 23 25.1 .631 .349 .779 4.7 1.2 .5 .2 7.6

National team

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Team Tournament Pos. GP PPG RPG APG
Finland EuroBasket 2022 7th
7
6.1
4.0
1.7
2023 FIBA World Cup 21st
5
8.0
5.2
3.2

References

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  1. ^ Mikael Jantunen, proballers.com
  2. ^ Mikael Jantunen palloili Vuosaaren kentiltä Susijengin kulmakiveksi, vuosaarilehti.fi, 26 October 2022
  3. ^ Mikael Jantunen, 22, kolusi lapsena pihapelejä niin ahkerasti, että jalat eivät kestäneet – hänen oli pakko tehdä kova päätös, joka kannatti, Yle, 11 September 2022
  4. ^ Mikael Jantunen: ”Pitää vaan uskaltaa toteuttaa niitä asioita, mitä treenaa”, basket.fi, 26 June 2024
  5. ^ Teiskonlahti, Riku (28 August 2018). "Kameleonttimainen koripallolupaus Mikael Jantunen miettii, mihin yliopistoon NBA-unelmansa perässä menisi – juniorina hänen ensimmäinen lajinsa oli kuitenkin jalkapallo". hs.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  6. ^ a b Daniels, Evan (8 October 2018). "Finnish forward Mikael Jantunen commits to Utah". 247 Sports. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  7. ^ Allen, Trevor (19 April 2021). "Mikael Jantunen Leaving Utah To Play Professional Basketball At Home". KSL Sports. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  8. ^ Drew, Jay (19 January 2021). "Protective mask hasn't hampered forward Mikael Jantunen, but he's almost ready to shelve it". Deseret News. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Duarte scores 25 as No. 17 Oregon beats Utah 79–73". ESPN. Associated Press. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  10. ^ McDonald, Ryan (19 April 2021). "Utah's Mikael Jantunen turning pro, will not return to Utes". Deseret News. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  11. ^ "Filou Oostende adds rookie Mikael Jantunen". Sportando. 23 July 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  12. ^ "MIKAEL JANTUNEN, UNA "RISING STAR" PER TVB-DALLA FINLANDIA UN PROSPETTO IN RAMPA DI LANCIO!". Treviso Basket (in Italian). 2022-06-14. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
  13. ^ Mikael Jantunen kaksivuotisella sopimuksella Italian Trevisoon, basket.fi, 14 June 2022
  14. ^ Voisiko ura jatkua NBA:ssa? Susijengi-tähti purki sopimuksensa eurooppalaisseuran kanssa, mtvuutiset.fi, MTV Oy, 14 July 2023
  15. ^ "Warriors 2023 Summer League roster". nba.com. 29 June 2023.
  16. ^ Mikael Jantunen PF #20 NBA Summer League Stats - Per Game, basketball.realgm.com
  17. ^ NBA-paikasta unelmoiva Mikael Jantunen häikäisi kesäliigan ottelussa: ”Elän ammattilaisurani parasta aikaa”, Yle, 12 July 2023
  18. ^ "Mikael Jantunen rejoint le Paris Basketball". parisbasketball.paris (in French). July 26, 2023. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  19. ^ Suomalaisten juhlaa Pariisissa – Tuomas Iisalo taas sankari, Ilta-Sanomat, 12 April 2024
  20. ^ Mikael Jantusen joukkue kaatoi Euroopan ykkösen – menestysvalmentaja äimisteli Tuomas Iisalonkin kädenjälkeä, Yle, 16 October 2024
  21. ^ Paris Basketball jatkoi voittojaan Euroliigassa, Jantunen jälleen avainpelaaja, basket.fi, 2 November 2024
  22. ^ Drew, Jay (13 February 2021). "Utah basketball: Junior forward Mikael Jantunen temporarily leaves Utes to join Finnish National Team in EuroBasket qualifier". Deseret News. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  23. ^ Susijengin pelaajatusina olympiakarsintoihin on vahvistettu, basket.fi, 30 June 2024
  24. ^ Aldama, Hernangomez, Ayton, Jantunen, Spellman in All-Star Five at 2024 OQT Spain, FIBA, 8 July 2024
  25. ^ Mikael Jantunen karsintaturnauksen tähdistöviisikkoon, Yle, 8 July 2024
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