Karim López made his NBA Summer League debut for the Grizzlies on July 16, and spoke afterward about representing Mexico on basketball's stage.
Karim Lòpez made his NBA Summer League debut with the Memphis Grizzlies on July 16 against the Atlanta Hawks while representing his Mexican roots.
The Grizzlies defeated the Hawks 96-64, punching their ticket to the Summer League semi-finals. Lòpez played limited minutes as he continues to recover from a strained hamstring.
After the game, Memphis' No.21 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft spoke to the media after the game about representing Mexico as the first Mexican player to be drafted in the first round.
"It's incredible to be able to represent Mexico," Lòpez said on July 16. "You can feel the people back there supporting me. It's a source of pride, it's beautiful, and it makes me very happy."
Memphis Grizzlies Recap
Lòpez is a potential piece to the franchise's future as he was taken in the first round after the team traded back twice to select him. In his Summer League debut, he finished the game with two points, one rebound, and one steal in 11 minutes of play.
The Grizzlies secured their spot in the semifinals behind Cameron Boozer's 24 points (game-high) and seven rebounds while shooting 10-of-13 from the field.
Cedric Coward finished the game with 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field. He also finished the game with three rebounds and 3 assists while playing 24 minutes.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper, whom the franchise hopes will take another step, finished the game with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting and recorded three rebounds.
Next up
As the 2026-27 regular season approaches, the franchise will enter a new era. In recent decades, the organization experienced the "Grit and Grind" era with Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph, Mike Conley, and Tony Allen. The next era featured Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Dillon Brooks, and Desmond Bane.
Jackson Jr., Brooks, and Bane were all traded from the franchise in recent years. Morant was the latest player to be traded on June 29 to the Portland Trail Blazers.
However, the 2026-27 season will be a new era for the franchise as they build around Boozer, Zach Edey, Jerami Grant, GG Jackson, Cedric Coward, and Jaylen Wells.
The Grizzlies will look to build around the current core and see how Karim López and Richie Saunders, who was drafted at No. 32, fit in. On June 24, the organization acquired Isaiah Stewart from the Detroit Pistons.
Memphis will play its next game against the Houston Rockets at 6:30 p.m. EST on Amazon Prime.
