By Hola America
The forward from Hermosillo was selected with the No. 21 pick by the Detroit Pistons, and his draft rights were sent to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Karim López became the first Mexican-born player selected in the first round of the NBA Draft.
The 19-year-old forward was chosen with the No. 21 pick by the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night, and his draft rights were traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. The selection marks a historic moment for Mexican basketball and places López with an organization that also added young talent near the top of the draft.
López, who was born in Hermosillo, Sonora, arrives in the NBA after a path shaped across Mexico, Spain and New Zealand.
“It means a lot to me,” López said after being selected. “It is a great opportunity for me and my country to have this platform. I feel very blessed, and I definitely take it with a lot of pride.”
From Hermosillo to an international path
Karim López was born in Hermosillo and left Mexico at age 14 to join Spanish club Joventut Badalona.
His development later continued with the New Zealand Breakers, a team in the National Basketball League (NBL), where he played the last two seasons before entering the NBA Draft. In his most recent season, he averaged 11.9 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 49% from the field in 25.6 minutes per game.
His physical profile also drew attention during the pre-draft process. López is 6 feet 8 inches tall, plays forward and recorded a 38-inch max vertical leap at the NBA Combine. He also has a nearly 7-foot wingspan and an 8-foot-10 standing reach.
That international development made him one of the most closely watched prospects outside U.S. college basketball.
A different milestone from Eduardo Nájera’s
López’s selection does not make him the first Mexican player drafted into the NBA.
That place in history belongs to Eduardo Nájera, who was selected 38th overall in the 2000 Draft by the Houston Rockets and was later sent to the Dallas Mavericks. Nájera played 619 NBA games from 2000 to 2012 and opened the door for other Mexican players in the league.
The historic difference is the round. López is the first Mexican-born player selected in the first round of the NBA Draft.
That detail changes the weight of the moment. A first-round selection represents a larger commitment from franchises, more immediate visibility and a different place in the conversation around international prospects.
“Eduardo Nájera was definitely one of the pioneers,” López said in a 2024 interview with Andscape. “I feel like this will change in the coming years. Basketball is growing in Mexico.”
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Memphis bets on a young forward
The Memphis Grizzlies obtained López’s draft rights after a series of moves during the first round.
The team began the night with the No. 16 pick but moved down through trades before landing López at No. 21. In the process, Memphis also accumulated future second-round selections.
For the Grizzlies, López represents a development project with size, mobility and professional experience outside the United States. His time in the NBL gave him minutes against older players, a different path from that of traditional college prospects.
The Mexican forward joins a franchise looking to strengthen its young roster and one that also selected Cameron Boozer with the No. 3 pick.
Mexico gains visibility in the NBA
López has spoken before about what it means to represent Mexico in international basketball.
In March, when he declared for the NBA Draft, he said one of his goals was to reach young people in Mexico, help grow the sport and inspire other athletes to follow their dreams.
“To show people that it does not matter where you come from,” he said at the time.
His arrival in the first round comes at a moment when Mexican basketball is seeking greater presence on international stages. López does not arrive only as a Mexican prospect; he arrives as a player who passed through different leagues and systems before being chosen by an NBA franchise.
The next step will be his integration into the Memphis Grizzlies environment and the team’s development process.
For Mexico, the night of the 2026 Draft left a precise mark: for the first time, a player born in the country was selected in the first round of the NBA Draft.
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