The 19-year-old Mexican forward, raised in the Joventut de Badalona academy, made his debut last night in the Las Vegas Summer League with the Memphis Grizzlies. López, drafted in 21st place, played 11 minutes against the Atlanta Hawks.
Karim López, the young promise of Mexican basketball trained at Joventut de Badalona, has already stepped onto the court of the NBA Summer League. The 19-year-old forward, standing at 2.06 meters, debuted last night with the Memphis Grizzlies in a game that his team won 96-64 against the Atlanta Hawks, in a match held in Las Vegas.
A discreet but promising debut
López, who was unable to score after missing his only field goal attempt, did show flashes of his defensive versatility. In the 11 minutes he spent on the court, he grabbed 4 rebounds, stole the ball once, and recorded two blocks. His compatriot Eli Ndiaye, a youth player from Real Madrid, contributed 5 points, 4 rebounds, and an assist in 21 minutes with the Hawks.
The Grizzlies' Summer League coach, Erik Schmidt, highlighted López's virtues: "He is a capable shooter, a passer, and a ball handler. He has a multitude of skills that allow him to impact the game in many ways." Schmidt also praised his defensive work, which aligns with the team's high-pressure identity.
From Badalona to the global elite
Karim López arrived in Badalona in 2021, at the age of 14, and spent three seasons with Asisa Joventut, alternating between junior categories and the first team. He made his first-team debut under Dani Miret at just 16 years old. After his time at Penya, he played two seasons with the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian league before making the leap to the NBA.
"I learned a lot at Joventut, a great place with excellent player development. It gave me so much, improving both on and off the court. I left very young, learned a lot about life, about basketball, and I think it was an experience that marked me forever," says the forward, who still fondly remembers the Fiestas de Maig in Badalona and his teammates, such as Marc Calderón, David Jimeno, Ruben Frey, or Jordi Rodríguez.
The bond between Badalona and the NBA remains strong. Pau Ribas, the youth director of Joventut, is part of the Toronto Raptors staff as an assistant, while Albert Cañellas, coach of CB Prat (an affiliate team of Penya), holds the same role with the Brooklyn Nets, led by fellow Badalonian Jordi Fernández.
A milestone for Mexican basketball
Karim López has already made history for Mexico: he is the first player born in the country to be selected in the first round of the draft, having been chosen 21st by the Detroit Pistons and traded to the Grizzlies. Before him, Horacio Llamas was the first Mexican to debut in the NBA (1997), Eduardo Nájera the first to play in the playoffs (2001), and Juan Toscano-Anderson the first to win a ring (2022 with the Warriors).
"It’s incredible to be able to represent Mexico. I can feel the support from everyone back home. It’s a source of pride, it’s beautiful, and it makes me very happy," emphasizes López, who will share the league next season with Jaime Jáquez, recently traded to the Milwaukee Bucks.
For the fans of Penya and Badalona, seeing a player trained in their academy make the jump to the NBA is a point of pride. And as the saying goes, there is no Badalona without basketball and no basketball without Badalona.
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