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<\/p>\nIn just a matter of days, former New Zealand Breaker Karim Lopez could become the seventh NBL Next Star selected in the first round of the NBA Draft in the past seven years.<\/p>\n
If he does so, he will join the likes of LaMelo Ball (2020), Josh Giddey (2021), Ousmane Dieng (2022) and Alex Sarr (2024), who were all selected inside the lottery.<\/p>\n
Before the 2026 Draft takes place in Brooklyn, let\u2019s take a look back on Lopez\u2019s incredible journey up to this point.<\/p>\n
Born in Hermosillo, Mexico, Lopez was born to play basketball, with his father, Jes\u00fas Hiram L\u00f3pez, playing for the Mexican national basketball team.<\/p>\n
In his youth, Lopez tried his hand at both football and taekwondo, before committing to basketball at the age of 12.<\/p>\n
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Representing Mexico at the Centrobasket Under 15 Championship in 2022. Photo: fIba.basketball.<\/p>\n
Two years later, he was rewarded with his first professional contract, signing to play in Spain with Joventut Badalona.<\/p>\n
This move saw Lopez leave his family to begin the chase of his hoops dream.<\/p>\n
From 2022 to 2024, the Mexican played for Joventut Badalona’s “B” team, before finally being promoted and making four appearances for the Spanish outfit during the 2023-24 season.<\/p>\n
> READ MORE: HOW THE NBL PREPARED KARIM LOPEZ FOR THE NBA<\/a><\/p>\n During this time, Lopez made his senior national team debut for Mexico during the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico in July.<\/p>\n This was followed by being named to the All-Tournament Team at the 2024 Adidas Next Generation Tournament in Paris and competing in New York\u2019s Under Armour Next Elite 24 event.<\/p>\n Representing his country at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Photo:\u00a0fiba.basketball.<\/p>\n Following this, on August 20, 2024, Lopez signed on with the NBL Next Stars program and the New Zealand Breakers<\/a>, who had helped RJ Hampton, Ousmane Dieng and Rayan Rupert all be drafted into the NBA.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel it fits me the best. I feel like it\u2019s the best path for me because the [Next Stars] program is already a proven program,\u201d Lopez told HoopsHype<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to be playing against more men, so that\u2019s a really competitive league … really good league. I feel like it\u2019s going to help me a lot to mature in my game and be better.\u201d<\/p>\n At the time, the significance of the signing wasn\u2019t lost on the GM of Next Stars Recruitment, Liam Santamaria.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a massive signing for the Next Stars program, and we are incredibly excited to watch Karim progress in the NBL over the next two years,\u201d Santamaria said in 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cKarim is a long, mobile wing who possesses NBA-level positional size and a versatile skillset at both ends of the floor. He can defend multiple positions and impacts the game with his length, awareness, and impressive basketball instincts.<\/p>\n \u201cOffensively, Karim is a smooth operator who can handle the rock, get above the rim, and knock it down from long range.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Breakers have an impressive history of developing Next Stars, and I have no doubt this is Karim\u2019s best path to maximising his potential as an NBA draft prospect.\u201d<\/p>\n One month later, the Mexican made his highly anticipated debut for the Breakers against the Brisbane Bullets on September 21.<\/p>\n Breakers fans didn\u2019t have to wait long for the hype to translate to on-court production, with Lopez having his breakout moment against the Kings on October 27 at Qudos Bank Arena.<\/p>\n The then 17-year-old helped the Breakers defeat the Kings 93-89 by tallying 13 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist and 1 steal for his first career double-double (and the youngest-ever Breaker to do so).<\/p>\n This strong play continued, as New Zealand won six of their first eight games, with Lopez playing a key role in that, according to coach Petteri Koponen.<\/p>\n \u201cWe see the improvement every day; it\u2019s a marathon. There are no magic tricks,\u201d Koponen said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all about getting to the gym, watching film, and finding areas to improve.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s 17, and there are still going to be ups and downs throughout the season, but I have great trust in him.\u201d<\/p>\n Lopez\u2019s progression was evident for all to see, scoring a then-career-high 18 points against Sydney on December 20, before stringing his best stretch of the season together between January 11 and 18.<\/p>\n Lopez scored 16, 19, 17 and 20 points in four straight games, as well as contributing across the board.<\/p>\n When the final buzzer sounded on his debut season in the NBL, Lopez finished with averages of 9.6 points, 4.7 boards and 1.2 dimes.<\/p>\n After a strong off-season, which included playing for the Next Stars team at the adidas Eurocamp<\/a>, Lopez returned for a second season with the Breakers and provided a massive impact for the team on the hardwood.<\/p>\n He started in all 31 matches for Koponen\u2019s side, while managing to score in double-digits in 10 of the final 11 matches of their season.<\/p>\n The standout performance in that stretch came on January 30 at Spark Arena, where Lopez exploded for a career-high 32 points (which also tied LaMelo Ball for an all-time NBL Next Star single-game scoring record).<\/p>\n Lopez also added 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal to help the Breakers edge United 97-95.<\/p>\n The forward\u2019s time in the Hungry Jack\u2019s NBL ended on a high note soon after, when his Breakers won the inaugural Ignite Cup Finals against Adelaide on the Gold Coast.<\/p>\n In that fixture, Lopez had 15 points, 8 boards and 5 dimes.<\/p>\n These numbers helped him post career-high marks in points (11.9), rebounds (6.1), assists (2), steals (1), blocks (1.2), field goal percentage (50.2) and free-throw percentage (32.6).<\/p>\n Upon reflecting on his record-setting time in the NBL<\/a>, Lopez revealed just how much of an impact it had had on his career<\/a> and growth as a player.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I came here, I was 17, and this program has allowed me to become a better player and constantly grow my game,\u201d Lopez said during his Next Stars documentary episode<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe team welcomed me with open arms and believed in me since day one, which I\u2019m very grateful for. They gave this kid an opportunity to showcase his talents.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m really happy and blessed to have been a part of this, as it showed me how [professionals] carry themselves each day.<\/p>\n \u201c[The Next Stars program] is a great experience for any young kid who’s trying to just pursue his dream.<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn’t change anything, it’s been great, and it is [an experience] that I\u2019m going to carry with me for the rest of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Since leaving New Zealand, Lopez has spent the majority of his time in the United States preparing for the 2026 NBA Draft.<\/p>\n He excelled at the Draft Combine in Chicago<\/a>, which led to ESPN\u2019s Marc J. Spears saying that he has \u201cScottie Pippen kind of things to him”.<\/p>\n Through all this, Lopez was invited to the Draft\u2019s Green Room<\/a> and has remained firmly in the mix to be selected in the NBA Draft Lottery<\/a>, with Yahoo Sports\u2019 Kevin O\u2019Connor, who Lopez explained that the \u2018best is still to come in his career\u2019<\/a>, ranking him as high as ninth.<\/p>\n More recently, with the Draft fast approaching, Lopez has worked with and impressed numerous NBA teams<\/a>, including Brooklyn, Chicago, Milwaukee and Golden State.<\/p>\n Now, with all this hard work under his belt, he’s on the verge of achieving his childhood dream.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/6a35fb2ba2c1ec636a44cda7_lopez2.jpg\")
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