HERMOSILLO, Mexico — Not far from the heart of town, on the concrete surface where he honed his skills as a youngster, NBA draft hopeful and New Zealand Breakers standout Karim López is dribbling a ball for the cameras. A local resident walking by notices the activity and approaches him quickly once she’s sure the filming has paused:
“It’s you, isn’t it?”
López pauses and grins. The woman raises her hand to her mouth. “You’re that basketballer, it’s you!” she exclaimed in Spanish. She appears both impressed and unsure, recognizing the presence of someone famous but not entirely certain of their identity. She seems flustered and assures the camera crew that his name is on the verge of recall.
For López, who proceeds to take a selfie and provide an autograph to the woman, it’s a degree of recognition he’s happy to accommodate at this stage, understanding it’s rapidly increasing. Standing at 6-foot-9, the 18-year-old already finds it challenging to blend in, especially in his hometown of Hermosillo, Sonora, in northwest Mexico, approximately 300 miles south of Phoenix.
Once the filming concludes, a small crowd of onlookers gathers, following the woman’s lead. More selfies and group pictures ensue. Even a couple of basketballs appear for him to sign. While López poses for another photograph, a man confidently tells his wife that the teenager is “a major NBA celebrity.”
Well, not quite yet.
In the coming months, López might fulfill that prediction and become a prominent figure for countless fans across Mexico, the U.S., and anywhere professional basketball is followed. He is positioned to become the first Mexican-born athlete to be selected in the initial round of the NBA draft and join a select few from the nation to compete there in nearly eight decades.
“I was practically born with a basketball; I like to say I had one in my hand from day one,” López expressed in Spanish. The remarkable talent engaged with ESPN to share his narrative for Hispanic Heritage Month.
López’s second — and possibly final — season in Australia’s National Basketball League commenced in September. In the following months, NBA scouts will finalize their evaluations of him. One NBL coach, Justin Tatum of the Illawarra Hawks — father of Boston Celtics star Jayson — noted that López is talented for his age and stature, enabling him to create an “immediate impact” in the Australian league. The young player’s style has even been compared to that of the iconic Julius Erving.
“His approach is ideally suited for the contemporary NBA,” ESPN NBA draft expert Jeremy Woo observed. “Teams are consistently seeking tall, versatile players who excel at passing, dribbling, and shooting.”
Most draft forecasts predict López will be selected within the top 10, which would easily position him as the most highly regarded Mexican prospect in NBA history. Eduardo Najera, who participated in over 600 regular-season games in the league with five teams, remains the sole Mexican-born draftee, joining the Houston Rockets as the 38th pick in 2000.
Hoops in His Blood
Basketball has been a fundamental aspect of López’s life, even dating back to the day of his birth. On April 12, 2007, basketball prevented father and newborn son from being together initially, though it would later pave the way for success in life.
“I wasn’t present when [Karim] was born,” shared Jesús Hiram López, Karim’s father. “I was in my final year of college, and I recall being anxious because my wife had been in labor for numerous hours.”
Hiram was roughly 1,500 miles away in Bolivar, Missouri, completing his academic pursuits and the basketball season for NCAA Division II program Southwest Baptist. Hiram remembers struggling to concentrate on exams while awaiting updates on the well-being of his wife, Claudia Mondaca, and their newborn son. Claudia’s parents eventually delivered the news, but Hiram would have to wait over a month to meet Karim in person.
Subsequently, Hiram prioritized staying close to his family. He pursued a professional career in Mexico, including multiple stints in Hermosillo, enabling Karim to accompany his father on the court frequently. The family fondly recalls Karim, barely walking, sneaking onto the practice court, gradually developing his affinity for the game under the gym lights.
“I would accompany my dad to games and attempt to assist him,” Karim recounted. “During team breaks, I’d wander onto the court and take some shots.”
Hiram encouraged Karim to join youth teams. Hermosillo, the state capital of Sonora, has long been influenced by American sports like baseball and basketball, offering a consistent level of competition for López.
Similar to his father, Karim has been involved with the Mexican national team for several years, alongside other players from Sonora, such as Francisco Cruz, who plays in Turkey, and coach Omar Quintero. Despite his rapid progress at such a young age, there was a time not long ago when the prospect of reaching the NBA seemed distant. López’s youth coach, Alejandro Leyva, recalls a critical juncture when the young man initiated his career trajectory.
“As a youngster, Karim wasn’t among the top players on our team, that’s important to note,” Leyva, who has coached youth basketball in Mexico for 17 years and grew up alongside Hiram in Hermosillo, explained. “Karim is part of a remarkably skilled group of players here in Sonora. He would excel in practice, but something shifted during actual games. He wasn’t the same.”
When López was 12, Leyva coached him at a youth tournament in Las Vegas and witnessed the young player begin to develop. A year later, footage of López dunking went viral among basketball fans and media outlets in Mexico. Shortly afterward, professional scouts began to appear in Hermosillo.
In 2022, at the age of 14, Spanish club Joventut Badalona extended a contract offer to López, providing a path from its youth teams to its premier squad. The club is known for nurturing NBA players Rudy Fernandez and Ricky Rubio, the experienced point guard who spent over a decade in the league with five franchises.
Following two seasons — and two championships — with Joventut’s youth team, López made his professional debut during the 2023-24 season. At the season’s conclusion, he received an offer from the Breakers in the NBL.
A Potential Top-10 Pick
Last December, Mondaca traveled from Mexico to New Zealand to celebrate Christmas with Hiram and Karim in Auckland. It was her first reunion with them in months, since the start of the NBL season. The López Mondaca family spent less than two weeks together before Claudia and Karim’s younger sister returned home.
“I believe the constant movement is the challenging aspect of his career. But I hope he enjoys and adjusts to it, as it has become a family norm,” Mondaca stated. “I once supported my husband through his professional career, and it’s the same with my son.”
López has seamlessly integrated into the NBL. As a participant in the league’s Next Stars program, designed to attract and prepare young prospects for the NBA as an alternative to college basketball, López is now being mentioned alongside notable names. LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets, Alex Sarr of the Washington Wizards, and Josh Giddey of the Chicago Bulls are all Next Stars alumni, with each being selected within the top 6 of their respective drafts.
Following his inaugural season with the Breakers, López appears poised to join that group in the NBA. Last season, he became the youngest player in NBL history to record a double-double, with 13 points and 10 rebounds against the Sydney Kings. In January, he surpassed 20 points for the first time against the South East Melbourne Phoenix.
“His achievements are impressive, particularly considering the limited number of players who have followed that path from Mexico,” Woo observed. “I believe a top 10 selection in the 2026 draft is within reach.”
A brief viewing of López compilations on YouTube can demonstrate to even the casual fan why Woo and other draft experts hold him in high regard. López averaged 9.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in his first season, playing only 22.9 minutes per game. Despite his height, López handles the ball like a point guard and navigates around defenders with ease. His long arms and wingspan have frequently landed him on highlight reels with impressive blocks on defense and spectacular dunks on offense.
López readily admits that his shooting is an area for improvement. In general, however, the teenager consistently compares favorably with former NBA players.
Anticipating the Future
All indicators point toward a first-round selection, a prospect that López’s family and friends view with cautious optimism. He allows himself only brief moments to consider it before redirecting his focus.
“There are moments when you’re about to sleep, and you start envisioning what could happen,” López admitted. “But I try not to dwell on it excessively because it could become a distraction.”
If realized, López would become only the fifth Mexican-born player to compete in the NBA, a league that has made significant efforts to engage fans of Mexican heritage despite the limited on-court representation. Mexican American players such as former Golden State Warriors forward Juan Toscano-Anderson and current Miami Heat guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. have emerged as popular ambassadors for the league’s more than 30 million fans within the country.
Toscano-Anderson has become a popular figure in Mexico City through two stints with the G League’s Capitanes, the first franchise in the NBA’s developmental system to be based outside of the U.S. or Canada. For nearly a decade, the NBA has regularly traveled to Mexico City, hosting regular-season games in sold-out arenas.
It’s reasonable to suggest that López’s arrival would be a major accomplishment for the league should he debut in the 2026-27 NBA season, elevating him to unprecedented levels of fame as one of the country’s few representatives.
For now, aside from small gatherings near Hermosillo’s city center or during the NBL season in Auckland, López largely experiences relative anonymity. He describes it as a dual existence, firmly grounding himself while also permitting himself to dream occasionally.
“I hope LeBron is still around if I make it to the NBA,” López remarked. “Anything is possible, but I hope he’s there so I can play alongside or against my idol.”
He pauses again.
“I mean, I’m not in the NBA yet, I need to keep working to reach that goal and fulfill my aspirations.”
