NBA DRAFT

June 23, 2026

Karim Lopez

Q. You always said you believed in yourself to make it to this moment. Where does that confidence in yourself come from?

KARIM LOPEZ: I've always been a confident person, a confident player just from all the hard work I put in. I know who I am. I know what I'm capable of. It's just about continuing like that and just showing it.

Q. Last year the league set a record for the most international players to play in a season with 135, I believe, across 43 countries. Now you get to add your name to that list going into next season. What does that mean for you and for international basketball?

KARIM LOPEZ: It's great. It's another one to the list. I mean, last MVPs, a lot of them have been international, as well. It's just about keep growing the game, keep expanding it to different places, different countries.

Basketball is a great sport. Going to keep growing, and I think we're on the right path.