Episode
Mexican NBA Draft Star Emerges
- Published
- Jun 24, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 80
- Processing state
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Summary
Karim Lopez, the first Mexican-born player ever selected in the first round of the NBA draft, is headed to Memphis as the 21st pick. After two seasons with the New Zealand Breakers’ Next Star program, Lopez joins a growing list of former Breakers drafted into the NBA — including RJ Hampton and Ousmane Dieng — and becomes the 12th NBL Next Star to go straight to the league. He’ll team up with fellow first-round pick Cameron Boozer on a Grizzlies squad rebuilding after finishing 13th in the West. Lopez’s milestone also underscores basketball’s expanding global reach — alongside Germany’s Hannes Steinbach (14th overall) and the Wizards’ AJ Dybantsa (No. 1), this draft signals a new era of international talent dominating the NBA. Support the show: Get a discount at https://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN: [email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting. Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates: https://sources.thednn.ai/b485f90f9989374d