{"id":723761,"date":"2026-06-24T20:25:49","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T20:25:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/723761\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T20:25:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T20:25:49","slug":"karim-lopez-becomes-first-mexican-born-nba-first-round-draft-pick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/723761\/","title":{"rendered":"Karim L\u00f3pez becomes first Mexican-born NBA first-round draft pick"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Until Tuesday night, only one Mexican-born player had been an NBA draft pick. Eduardo N\u00e1jera<\/a> was selected 38th overall in the second round by the Houston Rockets in 2000 and enjoyed a 12-year career as a backup forward with five teams.<\/p>\n

Karim L\u00f3pez <\/a>joined him when the Detroit Pistons snapped him up at No. 21, making him the first Mexican-born first-round draft selection.<\/p>\n

Lopez donned the Pistons\u2019 cap handed to him by NBA commissioner Adam Silver, then was immediately traded to the Memphis Grizzlies.<\/p>\n

L\u00f3pez, a 19-year-old 6-foot-9 forward, became emotional when Silver announced the pick<\/a>. He sobbed beneath the cap.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just super special,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m blessed. I mean, I have no words.\u201d<\/p>\n

Born in Hermosillo in the Mexican state of Sonora, L\u00f3pez joined the prestigious Joventut Badalona youth academy<\/a> in Badalona, Spain, at age 14 to accelerate his development. The academy counts former NBA players Ricky Rubio, Rudy Fern\u00e1ndez and Ra\u00fcl L\u00f3pez among its alumni. <\/p>\n

During his post-draft television interview, he displayed a custom design inside his suit jacket: Mexico\u2019s tricolor flag.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just wanted to represent my culture, represent where I\u2019m from, represent my faith, and just represent myself, basically,\u201d L\u00f3pez said. \u201cShow who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

Memphis clearly targeted L\u00f3pez while adroitly obtaining five second-round picks in the process. They received three picks from the Pistons and two from the Oklahoma City Thunder in return for moving back from the No. 16 draft position.<\/p>\n

Whether L\u00f3pez fulfills his potential and becomes the fifth Mexican-born player to take the court with an NBA team remains to be seen. Reviews are mixed. <\/p>\n

Draft experts John Hollinger and Sam Vecenie of the Athletic <\/a>differed in their evaluation, with Hollinger giving the pick a thumbs-up while Vecenie expressed reservations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had Karim L\u00f3pez rated quite a bit higher than [the No. 21 pick] and was surprised to see him slide this far,\u201d Hollinger wrote, giving the pick an \u201cA\u201d grade partially because the Grizzlies also collected the five second-round picks.<\/p>\n

Vecenie pointed out that L\u00f3pez doesn\u2019t shoot well and has defensive deficiencies, saying that his game might be better suited for European leagues than the NBA. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure how he gets on an NBA court early in his career,\u201d he wrote. \u201cI love his frame and physicality. I love that he rebounds and attacks with aggression. But I\u2019m not sure he\u2019s good enough without the ball to make an early impact in the NBA.\u201d<\/p>\n

Should L\u00f3pez make the Grizzlies\u2019 roster, he would join Horacio Llamas, Gustavo Ay\u00f3n, Jorge Guti\u00e9rrez and N\u00e1jera as the only NBA players born in Mexico.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means a lot to me,\u201d Lopez said. \u201cIt\u2019s just a great opportunity for me and my country to have this platform and have this opportunity. So super blessed and definitely take it with a lot of pride.\u201d<\/p>\n

Noteworthy NBA players of Mexican descent born in the United States include former UCLA standout Jaime Jaquez Jr.<\/a> and former Lakers reserve Juan Toscano-Anderson<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Jaquez averaged 15.4 points a game in 2025-2026, his third season with the Miami Heat. Toscano-Anderson played five seasons in the NBA \u2014 including winning a championship with the Golden State Warriors in 2022 \u2014 and now is with Pallacanestro Trieste of the top Italian league.
L\u00f3pez is already a veteran of international basketball, having spent the last two seasons with the New Zealand Breakers in Australia\u2019s top pro league. He averaged 11.9 points and 6.1 rebounds last season. <\/p>\n

He will join No. 3 overall pick Cameron Boozer with the Grizzlies, who are rebuilding after finishing 25-57 and 13th in the Western Conference last season.<\/p>\n

\u201cA goal of mine is to hopefully reach young people in Mexico,\u201d Lopez told ESPN in March when he declared for the draft. \u201cTrying to grow the sport and inspire athletes and people in general to follow their dreams. Show people that it doesn\u2019t matter where you\u2019re from.\u201d<\/p>\n