A FedExForum crowd made its point late in the Memphis Grizzlies’ Oct. 31 matchup with the Sacramento Kings: they wanted Karim Lopez.
With a little more than nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, the arena broke into chants of “We want Lopez!” for the Grizzlies rookie and first-round pick. He finally checked in with 4:15 remaining, and with 30.5 seconds left, he delivered the moment the building had been waiting for - his first career basket in Memphis’ 136-105 win.
Lopez, the first Mexican-born first-round pick in NBA history, said he knew teammate Carson Cooper was available on the play. He still chose to attack the rim himself, finishing through a defender’s extended arms for his first points.
“It was a super nice moment,” Lopez said. “I'm not going to lie, Cooper was wide open, but I'm not swinging that.
I'm going to be honest. You got to get those first points.
From now on, I'll swing that (pass). But yeah, super special and happy.”
Cooper had his own milestone in the fourth quarter, scoring his first career point on a free throw. The two rookies were later recognized in the locker room and handed game balls.
Afterward, Lopez said the reaction from the crowd wasn’t new to him. He had already heard fans calling for him to get into games, including his first appearance on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers, when he finished with one rebound.
This time, though, he got the home setting, the loud response and the basket to match.
“It’s cool to see people wanting me in the game,” Lopez said. “I was trying to go in also.”
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