Karim Lopez Declares for 2026 NBA Draft, Where Did Mexican Prospect Land in B/R's Latest Mock?

New Zealand Breakers forward Karim Lopez announced Monday he's declaring for the 2026 NBA draft.

"It's been my dream and my goal my whole life to play in the NBA," he told ESPN's Jeremy Woo and Shams Charania. "Honestly, since I can remember. I was probably like, 5 years old, making drawings of myself playing in the NBA. … It's pretty special, you know, to be in this position right now."

The 18-year-old Mexican prospect was the projected No. 12 pick to the Golden State Warriors in Jonathan Wasserman's most recent mock draft for Bleacher Report.

In the likely event he's a first-round pick, Lopez will be the first Mexican-born player to be a first-rounder in the NBA.

"A goal of mine is to hopefully reach young people in Mexico," he said to ESPN. "Trying to grow the sport and inspire athletes and people in general to follow their dreams. Show people that it doesn't matter where you're from."

Wasserman compared Lopez to Orlando Magic star Franz Wagner.

"Even at 18 years old in a physical pro league, he's outmuscled bigs and wings inside the arc," the draft expert said. "Though not overly explosive, he's strong with the ball, while the flashes of ball-handling, shotmaking and passing create theoretical versatility NBA teams crave from the power forward slot."

In 31 games for the Breakers, Lopez averaged 11.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks. He was a 50.2 percent shooter overall and 32.6 percent from beyond the arc.

Much of the conversation about the 2026 draft class has centered on the three-horse race between Duke's Cameron Boozer, BYU's AJ Dybantsa and Kansas' Darryn Peterson to be the No. 1 pick.

Whoever finishes fourth in the draft lottery is bound to feel a little disappointed, but the depth goes beyond the three stars at the top.

Wagner is averaging 19.3 points and 4.9 rebounds through his five seasons with the Magic. Having a player that good fall to No. 12 would represent great value.