Our Lopez is better than your Lopez!
It's the new battle cry in New York basketball after the Knicks and Robin Lopez, Brook's twin, agreed on terms Friday. After spending most of their eight year careers separated by a continent, Brook and Robin will now be separated by the East River that flows like the bile between Brooklyn and Manhattan hoop fans.
On July 9, Brook will sign a three-year $60 million deal in Brooklyn and Robin a four-year $54 million one in New York.
The two have only played nine times in head-to-head match-ups due to injuries. Robin has won five, but Brook has the dominant individual stats. Brook has averaged 20.3 points and 7.7 rebounds to Robin's 10.7 and 5.0. Their last game, on April 6, was Brook's most commanding. He scored 32 points and grabbed nine boards to his twin's 8 and 7 in a game the Nets had to win ... and did.
And of course there was this moment when Robin played in New Orleans.
They say they don't talk during the games, and rarely call each other on the phone --they're all about texting. But they're not afraid to offer criticism of each other from afar. When Steve Serby of the Post asked Brook last November, "in 25 words or less, personality-wise, what’s the difference between you and Robin?" he responded, "Robin’s an idiot ... yeah, yeah, Robin’s a complete moron."
Robin, the hirsute one, did not moderate his reply. "I don't think he's too concerned with basketball," Robin said. "I think he's a little more concerned that he's not the best looking Lopez. That's something that would bother him. Then, he added, "My mom's already rooting for me."
Oh yeah, there's the mutual love of comic books and Star Wars and Brook's desire to play a Wookie in the next Star Wars episode, and Robin's thing for mascots, but hat's too much to get into here. PLENTY of time for that.
The two live in southern California when not playing and have two older brothers, both of whom played in college and one of whom played pro in Europe for a while. Their mother, a champion swimmer, raised them in Fresno, where along with Quincy Pondexter they dominated high school ball in the Golden State. Then, it was two years at Stanford and the Draft. In fact, that night in 2008, there was a short debate among the Nets front office types, with some, led by then-GM Kiki Vandeweghe, wanting Robin. Now, wouldn't have been special.
We don't know the living arrangements yet, Brook has lived in a gate community along the Hudson the entire time he's played for the Nets. (He doesn't like change, which is a good thing.) John Schuhmann of NBA.com thinks he knows how it will work out.
The Lopez Bros would be the only family making $30 million a year & living in a 2-bedroom apartment in Edgewater.
— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) July 3, 2015
Oh, this will be great!
- Robin Lopez and Knicks Agree to a Four-Year Deal - Scott Cacciola - New York Times
- Knicks agree to deal with Robin Lopez, add Derrick Williams - Stefan Bondy - New York Daily News