Mikael Jantunen, a Finnish national team player and a new member of Fenerbahce, spoke to Basketball Sphere about the upcoming EuroBasket, the biggest favorites, playing alongside NBA star Lauri Markkanen, and also touched on his new club and working with Sarunas Jasikevicius, as well as his relationship with former coach Tuomas Iisalo.
Together with his now former team Paris, Mikael Jantunen quickly rose to the top of European basketball. Alongside T.J. Shorts, Nadir Hifi, Tyson Ward, and others like coach Tiago Splitter, he quickly became one of the EuroLeague’s biggest sensations, with Paris bringing a unique philosophy and dominant performances to the competition.
After a historic season, the time came to sign with Fenerbahce—a confirmation of everything he has accomplished in his career so far. From the Basketball Academy in Helsinki and the Finnish Second Division, to the University of Utah, Oostende, Treviso, Paris, and now his latest move, he has built his career step by step, which now seems set to fully take off in the upcoming period.
Claim Now “Serbia is the clear favorite”
Now, he also has a chance to gain momentum at EuroBasket, where he will represent Finland on home court and host some of the best teams in the tournament. And that won’t be enough for him, as he is aware that his national team is capable of reaching even higher goals.
“We’re very excited, of course. We’ll be hosting the group stage, which makes everything even more meaningful. The goal is to reach the quarterfinals, if not further, but we know how challenging that will be. It’s a big task for us, a lot of strong teams are competing for a medal. We have to approach every game with the mindset to win—and if we do that, we can hope to go far,” Mikael Jantunen told Basketball Sphere at the beginning of the interview.
Current world champion Germany, a strong Lithuanian team eager to bounce back after several underwhelming tournaments, Montenegro with Nikola Vucevic, historic rival Sweden, and Great Britain will be the teams Finland faces in Group B of EuroBasket. At first glance, the task ahead for Lassi Tuovi’s squad is anything but easy.
“There are a lot of really interesting teams, and they’re all strong. We have a great chance to do a good job. Preparations are going well so far, even though it’s still early. We’re making progress day by day.”
At the tournament level, all predictions clearly point to the team led by Nikola Jokic as the top contender for the gold medal. The same opinion is shared by Fenerbahce’s new signing.
“Serbia is the clear favorite, Germany is also serious, and France has a very talented squad. I’d highlight those three teams. Then there’s Greece, Slovenia, Lithuania, Turkey… and Spain is always good.”
On the culture of the Finnish national team
Finland is increasingly being mentioned as a national team that has built a recognizable playing style and continues to grow steadily. Alongside that, a strong national team culture has developed — evidenced by the fact that NBA star Lauri Markkanen never misses national team duties, which is not always the case for players of his caliber.
“It’s great that Lauri is here. His presence pushes each of us to be at least a little bit better. I’m sure he’s enjoying all of this, just like everyone else who’s come. We spend a lot of quality time together, and we all genuinely want to be here — we’re having fun. We’re a small country and may not have a deep roster, but we’ve known each other for a long time, even though we have a young team. Because of all that, playing for Finland is an easy decision.”
Finland’s playing style is known for its fast-paced basketball, full of intensity and rhythm — something quite similar to what Mikael Jantunen played in Paris over the past two seasons, where he established himself as one of Europe’s top power forwards.
“The players are different, of course, but the playing style is very close to what I had at the club. We aim to show our own identity — at a high tempo. It has always been fast basketball when it comes to the national team. I’ve been playing this way since I was 16, in Finland’s youth categories, so it’s easy to adjust. I assume it’s the same for everyone.”
“Fenerbahce? I wanted a team that would make me better”
He comes to EuroBasket in a very good mood. With Paris, he reached the EuroLeague playoffs and then went on to win the LNB Pro A, ending Monaco’s long-standing dominance. All of this came after lifting the EuroCup trophy with the same team a season earlier — a title that earned them a place among Europe’s elite.
“An incredible two years. The most important thing is that we became friends during that time — we bonded deeply and really enjoyed the time we spent together, both on and off the court. That was definitely the key to our success. We had a unique style, and the chemistry among us was unbelievable. I developed a lot, and it was easy to play with teammates like that.”
This summer is the biggest of his career so far. Just a few weeks before he even began thinking about EuroBasket, he signed with Fenerbahce — a reward for his top-level performances in a Paris jersey. Now, a new club chapter begins — with the reigning European champions. It couldn’t get much better than that.
“A new challenge, one of the biggest clubs with a tradition. I wanted to take a step forward in my career — and I did, and I’m happy about it. I can’t wait to get started. They had a great team last season. Some players have left, some stayed, and they have an excellent coach. I’m excited to be in a position to learn and to be part of that. I tried to choose a place where I could become a better player — that’s why I chose this environment.”
On working with two top coaches
He’ll have the opportunity to work with one of the best coaches in Europe. Sarunas Jasikevicius has won his first EuroLeague title, further confirming his status as a top-level coach. There’s no doubt that Mikael Jantunen took that factor into account as well.
“The coach is a very important thing I pay attention to when deciding where to go. I had a few good conversations with him, and I can’t wait for everything to begin. He’s definitely someone who can push me further and bring the best out of me. That’s everything I’m looking for.”
Much credit also goes to his former Paris coach, who is now leading the Memphis Grizzlies. Tuomas Iisalo has done incredible things over the past few seasons, and his one-year stint with the French team was historic on every level. That success ultimately earned him a spot in the NBA, where he has already adapted impressively.
“He had a big impact on me. He brought me to Paris, and after that incredible season, he moved to the NBA. Nothing surprises me when it comes to that guy. He very quickly became a head coach, but this is just the beginning for him. I’m really curious to see what things will look like next season and what the Memphis Grizzlies will do. He’s an extremely good coach, and there’s no doubt he’ll be successful,” concluded Mikael Jantunen in his interview with Basketball Sphere.
