Lauri Markkanen passed on Netflix’s ‘Starting 5′

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The basketball world has been abuzz the past couple of weeks as fans watch the new Netflix series, “Starting 5,” which follows LeBron James, Anthony Edwards, Jimmy Butler, Domantas Sabonis and Jayson Tatum through the 2023-24 NBA season.
The series, produced by James’ media company Uninterrupted (along with a list of other notable figures, including Peyton Manning and the Obamas), gives unprecedented access to the players not only on the court, in locker rooms and at arenas, but in practice settings and at home with their families.
For any NBA fan, it’s a fun watch. If you’re a Utah Jazz fan, you might be interested to know that there was a chance Lauri Markkanen could have been a part of the show.
“I assume it was the same show,” Markkanen said earlier this month. “They reached out about doing a Netflix show. Maybe it was a different one, but that’s the only basketball stuff I’ve seen so I assume it was that one.”
In the end, Markkanen politely declined. Though there were a number of factors that went into his decision, at the top of the list was the dynamic of the team and the desire to keep his home life private.
“I didn’t want to bring extra people into the locker room,” he said. “Yes, it’s fine when it’s going great and you’re having people film you in your car after a game. But what if things go sideways? I just know my personality and it would have been too much. I just wanted to focus on playing basketball and being with our team with no other people around. And then, we’re pretty private with our family life as well, so didn’t want to bring them into it.”
The 10-part series debuted on Oct. 9 and without giving any specific spoilers, I’ll say that I really enjoyed it. Though I don’t think there’s anything particularly surprising or new, the interviews with the players are a little bit more raw than you normally get and it really shows how their life off the court impacts their basketball lives.
“Just taking a step back and realizing that you’re in an unbelievable opportunity, you know, and looking at your 11-year-old self and saying, ‘Hey, you’re gonna play in the NBA one day.’ So, an attitude of gratitude.” — Walker Kessler on his mental approach this season.