With the Grizzlies well ahead of the Kings Saturday, FedExForum fans started chanting for rookie Karim Lopez, and he gave them something to cheer: his first NBA basket.
The moment
With a little more than nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, the crowd chanted "We want Lopez!" He checked in with 4:15 left and scored his first career basket with 30.5 seconds remaining, in a 136-105 Memphis win. Lopez, the first Mexican-born first-round pick in NBA history, finished with two points, a rebound and a block in four minutes.
"Super special"
Lopez said teammate Carson Cooper was open on the play, but he drove and laid it in over a defender. "It was a super nice moment," he said. "I'm not going to lie, Cooper was wide open, but I'm not swinging that... You got to get those first points. From now on, I'll swing that (pass). But yeah, super special and happy."
Cooper also scored his first career point in the fourth quarter, on a free throw. Both players were celebrated in the locker room and received game balls. Lopez said it was not the first time fans had chanted for him; he made his NBA debut on the road at Portland, finishing with one rebound.
Sources: Commercial Appeal, WCC Press