Karim Lopez declares for NBA Draft, on track to be first Mexico-born player taken in first round

In what is projected as one of the deepest and best draft classes in a long time, one of the best stories may come in the middle of the first round.

Karim Lopez — projected to be the first Mexican-born player ever taken in the first round — has declared for the NBA draft, reports Jeremy Woo and Shams Charania of ESPN.

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“It’s been my dream and my goal my whole life to play in the NBA,” Lopez told ESPN. “Honestly, since I can remember. I was probably like 5 years old, making drawings of myself playing in the NBA. … It’s pretty special, you know, to be in this position right now.”

Lopez, a 19-year-old 6’8″ wing, is projected to go in the late lottery or just after and is the highest-ranked international player on most boards. He played the past two seasons for the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian NBL (through its Next Stars program) and averaged 11.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game this season. The Breakers used him primarily as a guy with the ball in his hands because he was such a mismatch, according to scouts, and his playmaking and skills have grown in the past year.

There have been players in the NBA of Mexican heritage, with the current example being Miami’s Jamie Jaquez Jr. Previously, we had seen Juan Toscano-Anderson, the only player of Mexican heritage with an NBA championship ring. There have also been players born in Mexico in the league, such as Eduardo Nájera.

Lopez is expected to take part in the NBA draft combine, May 10-17, in Chicago.

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/karim-lopez-declares-nba-draft-184712591.html

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Publish date : 2026-03-27 18:47:00

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