Karim Lopez declares for NBA Draft, on track to be first Mexico-born player taken in first round
Lopez, a 6'8" wing, has averaged 11.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game playing in Australia's NBL.
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 . "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.