BROOKLYN, NY — A total of four Latinos were selected in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft Tuesday night, hearing their names called by NBA commissioner Adam Silver in an electric-filled Barclays Center.
First off the board was Mikel Brown Jr., selected by the Brooklyn Nets at sixth overall and then Kingston Flemings at No. 8 by the Atlanta Hawks which was followed with Yaxel Lendeborg headed to the Golden State Warriors at No. 11 and Karim López making history later on in the evening.
With the 21st overall pick via a trade with the Detroit Pistons, the Memphis Grizzlies drafted the 19-year-old of Hermosillo, Mexico—López—becoming the first-ever Mexican-born player selected in the first round of a NBA Draft.
“Well, this is super special,” López said while holding back tears in an interview with ESPN moments after he was selected. “Honestly, to be here, I’m blessed. I mean, I have no words.”
The standout forward, producing with the New Zealand Breakers in the National Basketball League (NBL) in Australia the last two seasons and with Joventut Badalona’s youth team in Spain prior to that is now just the second-ever Mexican-born player to hear his name called in a NBA Draft—joining Eduardo Nájera of Meoqui, Mexico—a second round pick in the 2000 NBA Draft who was selected by the Houston Rockets at 39th overall.
Guard Mikel Brown Jr. | No. 6 overall by the Brooklyn Nets
Puerto Rican Heritage | Louisville Cardinals
20 years old | Orlando, Florida | Listed at 6-5 & 180 lbs
“It means the world to me to come from a Puerto Rican tradition,” Brown Jr. said after Tuesday night in post draft media availability. “That side of the family, they are hardworking. My grandfather worked for 22 years in the Army. Very disciplined about his stuff. He does everything with a purpose. I tried to take that away from him and try to represent it to the best of my abilities.”
Guard Kingston Flemings | No. 8 overall by the Atlanta Hawks
Puerto Rican Heritage | Houston Cougars
19 years old | San Antonio, Texas | Listed at 6-3 & 183 lbs
“My mom was born in Saint Croix, around there,” Flemings said during media availability leading up to the draft. “My grandma was also born there so it’s always (about heritage) and everything like that. Especially on my mom’s side. I went down to Puerto Rico after the (College Basketball) season was over. It’s a beautiful place. If anyone wants to go, (you) definitely gotta tap in.”
Forward Yaxel Lendeborg | No. 11 overall by the Golden State Warriors
Dominican & Puerto Rican Heritage | Michigan Wolverines
23 years old | Bayamón, Puerto Rico | Listed at 6-9 & 241 lbs
“It’s amazing and an honor,” Lendeborg said of representing Latinos in an interview with Latino Sports. “Every time a Dominican (social media) page posts me, you see so many comments with just the flag and the people from the island supporting me. I want to do whatever I can to support you guys and just show you I really care.”
Forward Karim López | No. 21 overall by the Memphis Grizzlies
New Zealand Breakers of the National Basketball League in Australia
19 years old | Hermosillo, Mexico | Listed at 6-8 & 222 lbs
“A goal of mine is to hopefully reach young people in Mexico,” López told ESPN in March, when he declared for the draft. “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.”
“Eduardo Nájera was definitely one of the pioneers, I feel like it will change over the coming years. It’s (a) growing sport in Mexico, basketball.”
2026 NBA Draft – Round 1 Draft Results
- Washington Wizards draft AJ Dybantsa (BYU)
- Utah Jazz draft Darryn Peterson (Kansas)
- Memphis Grizzlies draft Cameron Boozer (Duke)
- Chicago Bulls draft Caleb Wilson (North Carolina)
- LA Clippers draft Keaton Wagler (Illinois)
- Brooklyn Nets draft Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville)
- Sacramento Kings draft Darius Acuff Jr. (Arkansas)
- Atlanta Hawks draft Kingston Flemings (Houston)
- Dallas Mavericks draft Morez Johnson Jr. (Michigan)
- Milwaukee Bucks draft Brayden Burries (Arizona)
- Golden State Warriors draft Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan)
- Oklahoma City Thunder draft Aday Mara (Michigan)
- Miami Heat draft Nate Ament (Tennessee) (Traded to Milwaukee)
- Charlotte Hornets draft Hannes Steinbach (Washington)
- Chicago Bulls draft Dailyn Swain (Texas)
- Memphis Grizzlies from Bennett Stirtz (Iowa) (Traded to Oklahoma City)
- Oklahoma City Thunder draft Ebuka Okorie (Stanford) (Traded to Detroit via Memphis)
- Charlotte Hornets draft Christian Anderson (Texas Tech)
- Toronto Raptors draft Allen Graves (Santa Clara)
- San Antonio Spurs draft Jayden Quaintance
- Detroit Pistons draft Karim López (New Zealand Breakers) (Traded to Memphis)
- Philadelphia 76ers draft Labaron Philon Jr. (Alabama)
- Atlanta Hawks draft Zuby Ejiofor (St. John’s)
- New York Knicks draft Cameron Carr (Baylor) (Reportedly traded to Los Angeles Lakers)
- Los Angeles Lakers draft Sergio De Larrea (Valencia) (Reportedly traded to Dallas via New York)
- Denver Nuggets draft Tarris Reed Jr. (Connecticut) (Reportedly traded to San Antonio)
- Boston Celtics draft Chris Cenac Jr. (Houston)
- Minnesota Timberwolves draft Joshua Jefferson (Iowa State) (Traded to Brooklyn)
- Cleveland Cavaliers draft Alex Karaban (Connecticut) (Reportedly traded to Sacramento)
- Dallas Mavericks draft Koa Peat (Arizona) (Reportedly traded to Phoenix via New York)
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