Karim López Makes History as the First Mexican Selected in the First Round of the NBA Draft
Mexican basketball scored an unprecedented advance on Tuesday night when Karim López became the first player born in the country to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft.
The 19-year-old forward from Sonora was selected with the 21st pick of the 2026 Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies, following a series of pick trades made during the ceremony held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
With that, López became the first player born on Mexican soil to hear his name called during the first round of the NBA draft, an achievement that for decades seemed distant for the country’s basketball teams.
Born in Hermosillo, Sonora, López left Mexico at the age of 14 to continue his development in the youth categories of the Spanish club Joventut Badalona. López later joined the Next Stars program of New Zealand’s National Basketball League (NBL), where he played the last two seasons with the New Zealand Breakers.
During the 2025-2026 season, López averaged 11.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, establishing himself as one of the top international prospects of his generation. The NBA also highlighted that he was the only NBL player to record at least six rebounds, one steal, and one block per game while keeping fewer than two turnovers per game.
Before the Draft, official NBA analyses had already projected that López had a strong chance of becoming the first Mexican selected in the first round thanks to his combination of size, athletic ability, and defensive versatility.
Reuters reported that Memphis selected him as the highest-rated international prospect of the 2026 class, highlighting his ability to play multiple positions and his professional experience at an early age, making him a true Mexican prodigy.
The achievement takes on special significance when compared with the history of Mexican basketball in the NBA. Until now, the benchmark had been Eduardo Nájera, who was selected in the second round of the 2000 Draft. No player born in Mexico had managed to break the first-round barrier.
The son of former national team player Jesús Hiram López, Karim debuted with Mexico’s senior national team when he was just 17 years old and has for several years been considered the country’s top basketball promise.
His selection comes at a time of growth for basketball in Mexico and once again places the country on the international basketball map. At just 19, López not only fulfilled the dream that, as he told ESPN, he had pursued since childhood, but also opened a door that no Mexican player had managed to cross before.
Source: Mexican Press Agency
