Could Karim Lopez be the NBL's biggest draft prospect since Alex Sarr?

Karim Lopez is making headlines for the New Zealand Breakers, and still has a year left on his Next Stars journey.

LaMelo Ball was the first NBL Next Star to make a splash in the NBA draft - earning a third overall selection in 2020 - but he certainly wouldn’t be the last. Homegrown talents Josh Giddey and Ousmane Dieng were both picked inside the lottery in subsequent years, and Alex Sarr later went second overall in 2024 - the highest ever pick for an NBL prospect. But while the aforementioned names were all “one and done” draftees who spent a sole season in the NBL, there is a new prospect forging his own path - Karim Lopez of the New Zealand Breakers.

Credit: Dan Cowley Photography

Lopez, a native of Mexico, arrived in New Zealand with a two-year vision. The 17 year old won’t be draft eligible until 2026, meaning that the 2024-25 NBL season was expected to be a developmental year for him. Early in the season that very much seemed to be the case, as Lopez averaged just 2.2 points across his first six games. The turning point was a game against Sydney on October 27, where Lopez started and logged a double double - thirteen points and ten rebounds in thirty minutes of play.

From that game onwards, Lopez has very much been a key contributor to the Breakers, who have endured a challenging season and find themselves second to last on the ladder.