In general, men in Finland have to go through military service by the age of 28. Professional athletes are designated to serve in a special ‘Sports School’ unit that is meant to help athletes train while completing their military service. The military service is supposed to start on April 11th, 2022, one day after the NBA regular season ends. The shortest military service to be fulfilled for an athlete is 165 days. It is currently unclear how Markkanen will complete his obligation to the country or if he will serve in the military at all.