Lauri Markkanen etched his name in Chicago Bulls history on Monday becoming the first rookie in 18 years to record at least 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in a season.
Elton Brand was the last Bulls rookie to reach that milestone in the 1999-2000 season. Only Dave Greenwood and Michael Jordan were the other players in franchise history reach that mark.
It’s official: @MarkkanenLauri is the first Bulls rookie to post at least 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in a single season since Elton Brand!Only three other rookies in #Bulls history have accomplished that feat: Brand, Jordan, and Dave Greenwood. pic.twitter.com/krbXliUWMD
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) April 10, 2018
It became official after the former Arizona Wildcat scored 10 points and grabbed 6 rebounds against the Brooklyn Nets.
It's another accomplishment for what has been a successful first-year in the NBA for the rookie. In January, Markkanen became the fastest player in NBA history to make 100 3-pointers, which took him 41 games to do. Stephen Curry made 100 3-pointers in 58 games, and Ray Allen did so in 76 games.
Markkanen also played in the Rising Stars Challenge as a member of Team World and finished in second place of the Skills Challenge during All-Star Weekend.
Markkanen has averaged 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game on 36 percent shooting from 3-point range.
The Bulls currently stand as the 13th seed in the Eastern Conference and won't make the playoffs, which means Markkanen will put a cap on his rookie season on Wednesday when Chicago hosts Detroit for the regular season finale at 5 p.m.
