Karim López declares
Mexico’s No.11 prospect Karim López officially declared for the 2026 NBA Draft, positioning himself as the first Mexico‑born player poised for a potential first‑round selection. Scouts are already tracking him as a candidate to break new ground for Mexican basketball on the NBA stage (x.com).
ESPN places López at No. 11 on its overall 2026 big board and lists him as the top-ranked international prospect in its draft rankings. (espn.ph) In the NBL this season he averaged 11.9 points and 6.1 rebounds in 25.6 minutes while shooting 49% from the field and set the Next Stars single-season points record with 358 points; he also tied Alex Toohey’s NBL mark with 66 combined steals and blocks. (espn.ph) López was born April 12, 2007, in Hermosillo, Sonora, is the son of former Mexico national-team player Jesús Hiram López, and moved to Spain at age 14 to join Joventut Badalona before signing with the New Zealand Breakers in 2024. (espn.ph) Listed at roughly 6-foot-9 with a reported 7‑1 wingspan, NBL and team profiles record his height as 205 cm and weight around 102 kg while wearing No. 1 for the Breakers. (espn.ph) Industry mock drafts and scouting sites project López as a first‑round candidate—Bleacher Report’s latest mock slots him at No. 12 to Golden State, while analytical outlets range him in the mid‑to‑late first round. (sports.yahoo.com) Golden State executives including GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. and assistant GM Larry Harris were reported scouting NBL prospects in New Zealand this season, and López is expected to attend the NBA pre‑draft combine scheduled for May 10–17 in Chicago. (hoopsrumors.com)
