Who is Miikka Muurinen? Meet “Slim Jesus,” the five-star recruit that helped lead Finland to the EuroBasket semis originally appeared on The Sporting News
The best thing about international basketball tournaments is that they provide a stage for introducing talented players whom you may have never heard of before.
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EuroBasket is an international basketball tournament hosted by FIBA. Twenty-four teams representing countries all over the world came together to compete across two and a half weeks of action. As the action continued, many watched in surprise as Finland made it to the semifinals for the first time in their history at EuroBasket.
Finland was led by standout basketball star Miikka Muurinen. The 18-year-old prospect currently goes to high school in Arizona, but is considered not only a top-15 recruit in the Class of 2026, but is already projected as a top draft choice in the 2027 NBA Draft. Before all that, though, Muurinen, affectionately known as “Slim Jesus,” helped Finland reach a historic stage at EuroBasket and was firmly placed on the radars of basketball fans.
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Here is more on “Slim Jesus” after he led Finland to the EuroBasket semifinals.
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Who is Miikka Muurinen?
Muurinen is a Finnish basketball player who has been labeled as the next great basketball prospect to come out of Europe. He is 18 years old and was born in Finland. He moved to Spain when he was 15 and now goes to high school in Arizona while he waits to play a year of college basketball before eyeing the NBA Draft in 2027.
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Why is Miikka Muurinen called “Slim Jesus”?
Muurinen hasn’t been seen walking on water just yet, but many would believe he could with what he can do on a basketball court. Give his longer hair at the time, and his deep skillset on the hardwood, social media influencer Cam Wilder can Muurinen the nickname, “Slim Jesus.”
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Will Miikka Muurinen play college basketball?
Muurinen is expected to. To be eligible for the NBA Draft in 2027, he just has to be out of high school for a year. The expectation is that Muurinen will spend the 2026 college basketball season playing somewhere, and then declare for the draft when he is first eligible.
He has interest from the top programs in the country. Muurinen is being recruited and has offers from Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas, Michigan, Indiana and NC State, per his 247Sports profile.
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Where is Miikka Muurinen from?
Muurinen was born on March 4, 2007, in Järvenpää, Finland, a city just outside of Helsinki. He moved to Spain when he was 15 to pursue basketball and now attends high school in Arizona as he gears up for the 2026 college basketball season.
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Miikka Muurinen NBA Draft projection
Early looks at the 2027 NBA Draft class have Murrinen projected in the first round, per FIBA. While he is likely already on the radars for NBA franchises, dominating a year in college would certainly only help shoot him up draft boards.
