The 2026 NBA Draft is still a few months away, but there is already a general sense of what the first round of the draft might look like. Mexico's Kareem Lopez, a projected first-round pick, who is currently playing in the National Basketball League (NBL) in Australia, recently announced his intention to enter the upcoming NBA draft, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
"Playing in the NBA has been my dream and my goal my entire life," Lopez said. "Honestly, I remember. I was probably 5 years old, drawing pictures of myself playing in the NBA... You know, it's pretty special to be in this position right now."
While Kareem Lopez is expected to be selected in the first round of the NBA draft, what is even more important for the NBL forward is that he is on track to become the first Mexico-born player to be selected in the first round of the draft.
The first round has included players of Mexican descent before, such as Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., none of whom were born in Mexico. Lopez is on track to become the first Mexican-born player since Eduardo Nájera.
Nájera was selected 38th overall in the 2000 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets. He played 12 years in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, New Jersey Nets and Charlotte Bobcats.
Lopez has played the past two seasons in the NBL, opting to take the professional route instead of playing college basketball. In recent years, players such as LaMelo Ball, Josh Giddy, AJ Johnson, Alex Sarr, Ousmane Dieng and Ryan Rupert have used the NBL's Next Stars program as a starting point before entering the NBA Draft.
