Finland men's national basketball team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Finland

FIBA ranking	20 (1 March 2024)
Joined FIBA	1939
FIBA zone	FIBA Europe
National federation	Basketball Finland
Coach	Lassi Tuovi
Nickname(s)	Susijengi (The Wolf Pack)
Olympic Games
Appearances	2
Medals	None
FIBA World Cup
Appearances	2
Medals	None
EuroBasket
Appearances	18
Medals	None
Home Away
First international
France 76–11 Finland  (Kaunas, Lithuania; 22 May 1939)
Biggest win
Luxembourg 53–111 Finland  (Luxembourg City; 16 September 2006)
Biggest defeat
Lithuania 112–9 Finland  (Kaunas, Lithuania; 27 May 1939)

The Finland men's national basketball team (known as Susijengi, which means "The Wolf Pack" in Finnish) represents Finland in international basketball games. This team is managed by Basketball Finland.

Finland has played in 18 EuroBasket tournaments, which are like the European championships for basketball. Their best result was finishing fourth in EuroBasket 2025, which they co-hosted. The team has also been to the Olympic Games twice, in 1952 (when Helsinki hosted) and in 1964. They have also qualified for the FIBA World Cup twice, in 2014 and 2023.

Since 2011, Finland has been the highest-ranked basketball team among all the Nordic countries.

Team History: The Wolf Pack's Journey

Starting Out: The Early Days

The Finnish Basketball Association started in February 1939. Before that, the Finnish Football Federation also managed basketball. Finland's first big international competition was the EuroBasket 1939. They were new to the tournament and faced tough competition, losing all their games.

The 1950s: Gaining Experience

Finland returned to the European championship at EuroBasket 1951. They played much better, winning some games and finishing 9th out of 18 teams. This was a good step forward! In 1952, Finland got to play in the Summer Olympics because their capital, Helsinki, was hosting the games. They gained valuable experience playing against strong teams like the Soviet Union and Mexico. They continued to compete in EuroBasket tournaments throughout the 1950s, learning and improving with each event. For example, at EuroBasket 1955, they finished 10th, showing they could compete with many European teams.

Modern Era: Rising Stars

Finland celebrating after beating France at EuroBasket 2017.

After a long break, Finland qualified for EuroBasket 1995. It was a tough tournament, and they didn't win any games, but it was important for them to be back at the top level. A big moment came when Finland qualified for EuroBasket 2011. This was their first time in 16 years! They did very well, beating teams like Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. This strong performance helped them get a special "wild card" entry into their first-ever FIBA World Cup in 2014. Finland was one of the hosts for EuroBasket 2017. They played their group games in Helsinki and did amazingly, finishing second in their group! They beat strong teams like France and Greece. They reached the Round of 16 but were eventually defeated by Italy, finishing 11th overall. In EuroBasket 2022, Finland continued to impress. Led by their star player Lauri Markkanen, who scored an incredible 43 points in one game, they beat Croatia in the Round of 16. They reached the quarter-finals, finishing 7th, which was their best result since 1967! This tournament was also a farewell for team captains Shawn Huff and Petteri Koponen. Finland also qualified for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, being the first European team to make it through the qualifiers. They played well in the classification games, finishing 21st. In July 2024, Finland played in the Olympic qualifying tournament. Even without Lauri Markkanen, they surprised everyone by reaching the final round, where they lost to Spain. Mikael Jantunen was recognized as one of the tournament's best players. Most recently, at EuroBasket 2025, Finland co-hosted some games in Tampere. They made history by reaching the semi-finals for the first time ever! They finished 4th after a close game against Greece for the bronze medal. Miikka Muurinen, the youngest player, won the "Rising Star" award, and Lauri Markkanen was named to the All-Tournament Second Team.

Finland's Tournament Achievements

Finland has proudly represented its country in many major basketball tournaments.

FIBA World Cup

The team has participated in the World Cup twice. Their first appearance was in 2014, and they qualified again for the 2023 tournament. They are currently working to qualify for the 2027 World Cup.

Olympic Games

Finland has competed in the Olympic Games twice. They played in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics as the host nation and again in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

EuroBasket

The EuroBasket is the European basketball championship, and Finland has been a part of it 18 times! Their best performance was a fantastic 4th place finish at EuroBasket 2025, which they co-hosted. They also achieved a strong 6th place finish in EuroBasket 1967 and 7th place in EuroBasket 2022. The team is now looking forward to qualifying for EuroBasket 2029.

Other Competitions

Finland has also taken part in other international basketball events, including:

• FIBA Stanković Continental Champions' Cup (2018)
• Adecco Cup (2015)
• Friendship Games (1984)

Meet the Team: Players and Coaches

Current Roster

This is the team that played in the EuroBasket 2025 tournament.

Finland men's national basketball team roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr. PG 1 Miro Little 21 – (2004-05-30)30 May 2004 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) UC Santa Barbara SG 9 Sasu Salin (C) 34 – (1991-06-11)11 June 1991 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) Estudiantes PF 13 Olivier Nkamhoua 25 – (2000-05-02)2 May 2000 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Varese PF 18 Mikael Jantunen 25 – (2000-04-20)20 April 2000 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) Fenerbahçe SF 19 Elias Valtonen 26 – (1999-06-11)11 June 1999 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) Granada C 20 Alexander Madsen 30 – (1995-01-26)26 January 1995 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) Força Lleida PG 21 Edon Maxhuni 27 – (1998-03-21)21 March 1998 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) BCM Gravelines PF 23 Lauri Markkanen 28 – (1997-05-22)22 May 1997 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in) Utah Jazz SF 24 Miikka Muurinen 18 – (2007-03-04)4 March 2007 2.11 m (6 ft 11 in) AZ Compass Prep SG 30 Andre Gustavson 26 – (1999-05-07)7 May 1999 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Karhu SG 34 Jacob Grandison 27 – (1998-04-02)2 April 1998 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) Boulazac PG 35 Ilari Seppälä 32 – (1993-03-27)27 March 1993 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Kecskeméti	Head coach Lassi Tuovi Assistant coach(es) Teemu Rannikko Hanno Möttölä Sean Sheldon Legend (C) Team captain Club – describes last club before the competition Age – describes age on 22 August 2025

Depth Chart

Notable Players

Here are some other important players who have played for the national team:

Current notable players roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr. SF Mustapha Amzil 23 – (2001-09-12)12 September 2001 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) Trepça SG Samu Adler 18 – (2007-08-10)10 August 2007 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) Vilpas PG Aatu Kivimäki 28 – (1997-06-08)8 June 1997 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Patrioti Levice G/F Perttu Blomgren 23 – (2001-09-13)13 September 2001 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) Ventspils SF Max Besselink 23 – (2002-04-04)4 April 2002 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) Nokia C Daniel Dolenc 32 – (1993-08-10)10 August 1993 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) HKK Široki C Federiko Federiko 24 – (2001-05-09)9 May 2001 2.11 m (6 ft 11 in) Texas Tech Red Raiders SF Shawn Hopkins 30 – (1995-05-09)9 May 1995 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) Álftanes SG Henri Kantonen 28 – (1997-08-20)20 August 1997 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) Helsinki Seagulls PG Severi Kaukiainen 27 – (1998-05-11)11 May 1998 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) Kalev F Alex Murphy 32 – (1993-06-03)3 June 1993 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) Tryhoop Okayama SF Topias Palmi 30 – (1994-08-26)26 August 1994 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Real Sebastiani Rieti F Remu Raitanen 28 – (1997-08-21)21 August 1997 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) Keflavík F Thomas Tumba 24 – (2001-04-15)15 April 2001 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Kataja C Hannes Pöllä 27 – (1998-03-09)9 March 1998 2.12 m (6 ft 11 in) Kataja SG Okko Järvi 29 – (1996-01-12)12 January 1996 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) Kecskeméti TE C Mikael Aalto 30 – (1994-09-12)12 September 1994 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) Korihait G Aaron Ekwere 18 – (2006-12-30)30 December 2006 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Drive Black Academy	Legend Club – describes current club Age – describes age on 22 August 2025

Coaches of the Team

Here are the coaches who have led the Finnish national basketball team over the years:

Images for kids

• 

  Finnish national team during the EuroBasket 1939 in Lithuania.

• 

  Finland playing against Mexico at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.

• 

  Finnish national basketball team in 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

• 

  Jyrki Immonen (left) and national teammate Teijo Finneman in 1967.

• 

  Seppo Kuusela

• 

  Anssi Rauramo [fi]

• 

  Pekka Markkanen

• 

  Hanno Möttölä

• 

  Ville Kaunisto

• 

  Tuukka Kotti

• 

  Teemu Rannikko

• 

  Petteri Koponen

• 

  Shawn Huff

• 

  Sasu Salin

• 

  Lauri Markkanen

Team Gear

Manufacturer

• Spalding
• Li-ning
• Adidas
• Avia
• Craft

Sponsor

• Finnair
• Nokia
• Pirkka
• Vantaan Energia
• Microsoft
• PostNord

See also

In Spanish: Selección de baloncesto de Finlandia para niños

• Sport in Finland
• Finland women's national basketball team
• Finland men's national under-20 basketball team
• Finland men's national under-19 basketball team
• Finland men's national under-17 basketball team