Robin Lopez · Biography

Robin Lopez’s first national honor came in 2006, when the center from San Joaquin Memorial High School in Fresno, California, was named a McDonald’s All-American and a third-team Parade All-American. Robin Byron Lopez was born on April 1, 1988, in Los Angeles, the son of Heriberto Lopez, a Cuban baseball player, and Deborah Ledford, a swimmer. He is one minute younger than his twin, Brook Lopez, with whom he shared a high school, a college program and, years later, an NBA locker room. Between 2008 and 2024 he played sixteen NBA seasons for nine franchises, mostly as a starting center known for rebounding, rim protection and a hook shot.

The Stanford years

Both brothers enrolled at Stanford in 2006. Robin started all 31 games as a freshman in 2006-07, averaging 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds, and his 73 blocks set a school record for a freshman. As a sophomore he added 83 blocks, made the All-Pac-10 Defensive Team and earned honorable mention on the All-Pac-10 team. That season Stanford reached the Sweet 16 of the 2008 NCAA Tournament: Robin scored 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting in the overtime win over Marquette that sent the Cardinal through, and the run ended on March 28 in Houston with an 82-62 loss to Texas. Away from basketball he appeared in campus theater productions. He finished his college career with 9.0 points and 5.6 rebounds per game over 67 games.

Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns took him 15th overall in the 2008 NBA draft, the same draft that brought Brook into the league. He began as Shaquille O’Neal’s backup and made his first start on November 7, 2008, against Chicago, posting 14 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks. After O’Neal was traded in 2009 he took over the starting job and averaged 8.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 2009-10. In the 2010 playoffs he played six games, all as a starter, as Phoenix reached the Western Conference finals, which it lost 4-2 to the Lakers. The arrival of Marcin Gortat reduced his role, and he did not start a single game in 2011-12.

New Orleans and Portland

On July 27, 2012, a three-team sign-and-trade involving Minnesota sent him to the New Orleans Hornets. In 2012-13 he started all 82 games, averaging 11.3 points and 5.6 rebounds in 26 minutes. On July 10, 2013, another three-team deal, this one also involving Sacramento, moved him to the Portland Trail Blazers. In 2013-14 he again started all 82 games, with 11.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, 29 double-doubles and the franchise single-season record for offensive rebounds. In March 2014 he received the Maurice Lucas Award for his “Read Big” literacy campaign. A broken hand suffered against San Antonio in December 2014 cost him a month; he finished 2014-15 with 59 games, 9.6 points and 6.7 rebounds.

New York and Chicago

On July 9, 2015, he signed with the New York Knicks as a free agent. In 2015-16 he started all 82 games again, averaging 10.3 points and 7.3 rebounds, and on March 20, 2016, he set a career high with 20 rebounds, adding 23 points in an 88-80 loss. On June 22, 2016, the Knicks sent him to the Chicago Bulls, along with José Calderón and Jerian Grant, in the trade that brought Derrick Rose to New York. He spent three seasons in Chicago, averaging 10.4 points in 2016-17, 11.8 in 2017-18 and 9.5 in 2018-19. In the 2017 playoffs he started six games, with 12.7 points and 7.2 rebounds.

Style and numbers

A traditional center, he built his career on offensive rebounding, rim protection and a textbook hook shot that made him a scoring option with the second unit in his later years. An avid comic book fan, he kept an offseason home in Portland. Over 992 regular-season games he averaged 8.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 21.1 minutes, shooting 53.7 percent from the field; in 38 playoff games he averaged 8.2 points and 5.4 rebounds.

Milwaukee, Washington, Orlando and Cleveland

On July 12, 2019, he signed with the Milwaukee Bucks, sharing an NBA roster with his twin for the first time; he played 66 games in 2019-20, scoring 5.4 points off the bench. On November 22, 2020, he joined the Washington Wizards, where his hook shot made him a go-to scorer among the reserves, and he reached 24 points in May 2021. He then signed with the Orlando Magic on August 6, 2021, and with the Cleveland Cavaliers on July 8, 2022. On July 7, 2023, he returned to Milwaukee alongside Brook and played 16 games. On February 8, 2024, he was traded to the Sacramento Kings, who waived him the same day.