Raul Lopez
From Hoopedia
Raül López Molist (born April 15, 1980 in Vic, Barcelona) is a Spanish basketball player who played for the Akasvayu Girona in the ACB during the 2005-2006 season, lately transferred to Real Madrid (July 2006). He has previously played for the NBA's Utah Jazz. López is a native of Vic, Barcelona, in the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain. At 6'0" (1.83 m) tall, he plays point guard.
In 1998, at 18 years old, he began his professional career with Joventut Badalona in the Spanish ACB league. Raül was a member of the Spanish Junior National Team that won the 1998 and 1999 World Junior Championships and the 1998 European Junior Championship. In 2000, he was signed by Real Madrid where he played for two seasons.
In 2001 he was selected in the first round of the 2001 NBA Draft, 24th overall, by the Utah Jazz. López was named, along with Memphis Grizzlies star Pau Gasol, to the Spanish national team which participated in the 2000 European Championship (winning the bronze medal) and the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Before playing for Spain in the 2002 FIBA World Championship he suffered an injury of his right knee, the same one that occurred during the 2001-02 season while playing for Real Madrid.
In September 2002 he signed his NBA rookie contract with the Utah Jazz and underwent surgery to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. As a result, he missed the entire 2002-03 NBA season. Finally in the 2003-04 season, totally recovered from his knee injury, he played in all 82 regular season games as the backup to starter Carlos Arroyo, averaging 7.0 points, 3.7 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 19.7 minutes per game.
Although he has been said to be the Spanish version of John Stockton, his game has often been described as more similar to that of Steve Nash and Tony Parker. He is known for his quickness, court vision, unselfishness, and passing ability. Also, he has the ability to create his own shot, a key skill in the modern NBA.
López featured on the Spanish version of the NBA Live 2004 video game.
On August 3, 2005, López was traded from the Jazz to the Grizzlies as part of the largest trade in NBA history, involving five teams, 13 players, and two draft picks. He was subsequently cut from Memphis's 2005-06 roster.
Later during the summer of 2005, he signed with the Spanish local team Akasvayu Girona, which finished 9th at the end of the 2005-2006 ACB season.
López returned to Real Madrid after signing a contract in July 2006. In 2006-07 season he won the Spanish ACB and the European ULEB Cup with Real Madrid.
In 2008 he was selected to be part of the Spanish National Team to play the 2008 Olympic Games for the first time since the summer of 2002 without playing for it.
