In just a matter of days, former New Zealand Breaker Karim Lopez could become the seventh NBL Next Star selected in the first round of the NBA Draft in the past seven years.

If he does so, he will join the likes of LaMelo Ball (2020), Josh Giddey (2021), Ousmane Dieng (2022) and Alex Sarr (2024), who were all selected inside the lottery.

Before the 2026 Draft takes place in Brooklyn, let’s take a look back on Lopez’s incredible journey up to this point.

Born in Hermosillo, Mexico, Lopez was born to play basketball, with his father, Jesús Hiram López, playing for the Mexican national basketball team.

In his youth, Lopez tried his hand at both football and taekwondo, before committing to basketball at the age of 12.

Representing Mexico at the Centrobasket Under 15 Championship in 2022. Photo: fIba.basketball.

Two years later, he was rewarded with his first professional contract, signing to play in Spain with Joventut Badalona.

This move saw Lopez leave his family to begin the chase of his hoops dream.

From 2022 to 2024, the Mexican played for Joventut Badalona's "B" team, before finally being promoted and making four appearances for the Spanish outfit during the 2023-24 season.

> READ MORE: HOW THE NBL PREPARED KARIM LOPEZ FOR THE NBA

During this time, Lopez made his senior national team debut for Mexico during the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico in July.

This was followed by being named to the All-Tournament Team at the 2024 Adidas Next Generation Tournament in Paris and competing in New York’s Under Armour Next Elite 24 event.

Representing his country at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Photo: fiba.basketball.

Following this, on August 20, 2024, Lopez signed on with the NBL Next Stars program and the New Zealand Breakers, who had helped RJ Hampton, Ousmane Dieng and Rayan Rupert all be drafted into the NBA.

“I feel it fits me the best. I feel like it’s the best path for me because the [Next Stars] program is already a proven program,” Lopez told HoopsHype.

“I’m going to be playing against more men, so that’s a really competitive league ... really good league. I feel like it’s going to help me a lot to mature in my game and be better.”

At the time, the significance of the signing wasn’t lost on the GM of Next Stars Recruitment, Liam Santamaria.

“This is a massive signing for the Next Stars program, and we are incredibly excited to watch Karim progress in the NBL over the next two years,” Santamaria said in 2024.

“Karim is a long, mobile wing who possesses NBA-level positional size and a versatile skillset at both ends of the floor. He can defend multiple positions and impacts the game with his length, awareness, and impressive basketball instincts.

“Offensively, Karim is a smooth operator who can handle the rock, get above the rim, and knock it down from long range.

“The Breakers have an impressive history of developing Next Stars, and I have no doubt this is Karim’s best path to maximising his potential as an NBA draft prospect.”

One month later, the Mexican made his highly anticipated debut for the Breakers against the Brisbane Bullets on September 21.

Breakers fans didn’t have to wait long for the hype to translate to on-court production, with Lopez having his breakout moment against the Kings on October 27 at Qudos Bank Arena.

The then 17-year-old helped the Breakers defeat the Kings 93-89 by tallying 13 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist and 1 steal for his first career double-double (and the youngest-ever Breaker to do so).

This strong play continued, as New Zealand won six of their first eight games, with Lopez playing a key role in that, according to coach Petteri Koponen.

“We see the improvement every day; it’s a marathon. There are no magic tricks,” Koponen said.

“It’s all about getting to the gym, watching film, and finding areas to improve.

“He’s 17, and there are still going to be ups and downs throughout the season, but I have great trust in him.”

Lopez’s progression was evident for all to see, scoring a then-career-high 18 points against Sydney on December 20, before stringing his best stretch of the season together between January 11 and 18.

Lopez scored 16, 19, 17 and 20 points in four straight games, as well as contributing across the board.

When the final buzzer sounded on his debut season in the NBL, Lopez finished with averages of 9.6 points, 4.7 boards and 1.2 dimes.

After a strong off-season, which included playing for the Next Stars team at the adidas Eurocamp, Lopez returned for a second season with the Breakers and provided a massive impact for the team on the hardwood.

He started in all 31 matches for Koponen’s side, while managing to score in double-digits in 10 of the final 11 matches of their season.

The standout performance in that stretch came on January 30 at Spark Arena, where Lopez exploded for a career-high 32 points (which also tied LaMelo Ball for an all-time NBL Next Star single-game scoring record).

Lopez also added 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal to help the Breakers edge United 97-95.

The forward’s time in the Hungry Jack’s NBL ended on a high note soon after, when his Breakers won the inaugural Ignite Cup Finals against Adelaide on the Gold Coast.

In that fixture, Lopez had 15 points, 8 boards and 5 dimes.

These numbers helped him post career-high marks in points (11.9), rebounds (6.1), assists (2), steals (1), blocks (1.2), field goal percentage (50.2) and free-throw percentage (32.6).

Upon reflecting on his record-setting time in the NBL, Lopez revealed just how much of an impact it had had on his career and growth as a player.

“When I came here, I was 17, and this program has allowed me to become a better player and constantly grow my game,” Lopez said during his Next Stars documentary episode.

“The team welcomed me with open arms and believed in me since day one, which I’m very grateful for. They gave this kid an opportunity to showcase his talents.

“I’m really happy and blessed to have been a part of this, as it showed me how [professionals] carry themselves each day.

“[The Next Stars program] is a great experience for any young kid who's trying to just pursue his dream.

“I wouldn't change anything, it's been great, and it is [an experience] that I’m going to carry with me for the rest of my life.”

Since leaving New Zealand, Lopez has spent the majority of his time in the United States preparing for the 2026 NBA Draft.

He excelled at the Draft Combine in Chicago, which led to ESPN’s Marc J. Spears saying that he has “Scottie Pippen kind of things to him".

Through all this, Lopez was invited to the Draft’s Green Room and has remained firmly in the mix to be selected in the NBA Draft Lottery, with Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor, who Lopez explained that the ‘best is still to come in his career’, ranking him as high as ninth.

More recently, with the Draft fast approaching, Lopez has worked with and impressed numerous NBA teams, including Brooklyn, Chicago, Milwaukee and Golden State.

Now, with all this hard work under his belt, he's on the verge of achieving his childhood dream.

“It's been my dream and my goal my whole life to play in the NBA,” Lopez said to ESPN.

“Honestly, since I can remember. I was probably like five years old, making drawings of myself playing in the NBA. It's pretty special to be in this position right now.”

The Next Stars program has seen six players drafted in the first round across the last six NBA drafts, including LaMelo Ball (2020), Josh Giddey (2021), Ousmane Dieng (2022) and Alex Sarr (2024), all being selected inside the lottery.

The 2026 NBA Draft is on June 23 and 24.