National Basketball Association

Robin Lopez talks comic books, Russell Westbrook, Giannis and NBA Finals

Updated Jul. 29, 2021 9:34 p.m. ET

By Yaron Weitzman
FOX Sports NBA Writer

Over the span of his 13-year career, Robin Lopez has developed a reputation as an NBA renaissance man. He loves everything about Disney. He hates mascots. And he’s a huge comic book nerd.

That latter interest served as the inspiration for his latest off-the-court endeavor. Over the past year, Lopez has worked with his twin brother, Brook, their brother, Chris, and Japanese manga (Japanese-style comics) artist TATSUZ to develop their own basketball-themed manga called "Transition Game." This week, they’ll release the first chapter of that project, which follows the story of a 15-year-old American basketball player forced to uproot his life when his mother, who serves in the Navy, is promoted to a new post on a small Okinawan island in Japan.

FOX Sports spoke with Lopez last week about this project, his comic book collection, what it’s like watching his brother compete in the Finals, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s wrestling choreography and much more.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

FOX Sports: How’d this project come about?

Robin Lopez: Me and my brothers have always been big comic book fans and big manga fans, and I think it was exciting for us to finally get a chance to combine the two loves. We've had some great experiences in the NBA and traveling abroad, both to Europe and the Pacific Rim, and I think this manga is kind of a little bit of that — a love letter, a nice picture of all our experiences.

FOX: Did someone approach you on this? Was this your idea? How did this come to be?

RL: This is an idea that just arrived from shooting the breeze between the brothers. A lot of it is inspired by traveling as kids. Because our mom was a teacher, she would move from school to school, and we would move from school to school as well. We loved it, don't get me wrong, but there wouldn't be a lot of continuity in a new school or new place. And it was something that was difficult to acclimate to.

FOX: What is the elevator pitch for the story?

RL: American basketball prodigy is transferred from home to a small Japanese island, where he has to acclimate to a different culture, different lifestyle and a different way of playing the game.

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FOX: How involved were you in putting this all together?

RL: I'm part of the creative aspect. I helped my brother write it. What I'm excited about and what we've talked about, perhaps depending on how successful this is, is doing backup features because we know there are a lot of NBA players who are interested in creating their own manga, their own comics.

FOX: Give me the worst idea Brook had that you shut down because it was dumb.

RL: The worst idea Brook had was making it Brook-centric. That's not gonna happen.

FOX: Growing up, did you read manga and comic books?

RL: I read more American comics. I read a little bit of manga. I watched more anime than I read manga.

FOX: What was your favorite comic?

RL: I always point to two comics. One would be Mark Waid’s run on "The Flash." And then the other one would probably have to be any Carl Barks "Uncle Scrooge" stories.

FOX: Why those?

RL: It's easier to say now than when I was a kid. Then, I just enjoyed them because they were great stories. I love Wally West. I love Uncle Scrooge. I think Wally West has such excellent development from a teenager to figuring out who he is becoming an adult. And it's done for a period of about 200 issues. I think it's the greatest example of character development in modern DC or Marvel Comics.

FOX: Do you still collect comic books?

RL: Yeah, we hold on to whatever we read. We have so many. We've always been a DC family in our house. Any Flash comics, "Teen Titans," "Young Justice," "Green Lantern." On the Marvel side, "Avengers," "New Warriors." And then I collect a lot of Disney comics, so I'm trying to finish my run with Walt Disney's comics and stories: Uncle Scrooge, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck.

FOX: Switching topics, you played with the Bucks last year and obviously are close with Brook. What has stood out to you so far in these Finals?

RL: It's exciting to see so many new faces in the Finals. There's a lot of great storylines. And it's just interesting to see somebody you're so familiar with so close to the center of the talks.

FOX: How do you process when, like, Brook has to be taken out of games because the Suns are attacking him one-on-one?

RL: There's definitely a lot of ribbing going on. It wouldn't be fit to print.

FOX: Give me your favorite Giannis story from last year.

RL: I think the thing I love about Giannis, it's got to go back to wrestling. He’s so good. I don’t think anyone’s aware of the playful side he shows off the court. He got so into directing and choreographing those fights. I think he has a future in that.

FOX: Would he chew you out if you made the wrong move or something?

RL: Yeah, he was demanding stronger, tighter, bigger gestures and everything.

FOX: Does it ever get annoying? You ever say, "Giannis, relax?"

RL: Not at all. I respect the craft.

FOX: Spending time around Russell Westbrook this year with the Wizards, what stood out to you most about him? You ever see him going through receipts in the cafeteria or someone trying to take his parking spot and getting yelled at?

RL: I like to think I could perhaps take his parking spot and not get yelled at. I do love Russell. Russell is very hands-on with everything. He's so smart in so many different areas, anything related to the game, anything having to do with basketball. He's been around the block. He knows how things should be run. And he’s so supremely gifted. I mean, people talk about his physical gifts, but they don't talk about his mental gifts — the way he can manipulate a game just by moving players around the floor.

FOX: What was your reaction to Scott Brooks not being brought back?

RL: I'm a little sad. I understand it's a business. I understand what happens, but I loved being coached by Scott. I think everybody did. He gave a lot of players confidence, and I wish there maybe could've been a little more continuity. I know this was a really unprecedented season. We had a lot of guys coming in and out of the lineup. I wish he got a chance to have a little more continuity with the team.

FOX: Have you spoken to him since?

RL: Just reached out and said, "Hey, I really appreciate it."

FOX: Any Disney World trips planned for this summer?

RL: I got out to Disney briefly for a couple hours just to see Avengers campus. That's all so far.

FOX: After the bubble were you like, "I'm never going to Disney again"?

RL: No, no, not at all. I guess I'm still nervous with the pandemic and everything and the new strain showing up.

FOX: I’m taking my family to Disney this winter. Two kids under 4. Where should we go?

RL: I think they're gonna love Magic Kingdom. I think Animal Kingdom is something they will really enjoy, too. I think they would enjoy Star Wars Land, just how immersive it is. I know my brothers' kids, my friends' kids enjoy building lightsabers, and I think that's a really cool experience for them. The way their faces lit up at certain parts of Star Wars Land, seeing what that was and seeing that they're there in the Star Wars universe, that was something that was really magnificent.

Yaron Weitzman is an NBA writer for FOX Sports and the author of Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Process in the History of Professional Sports. Follow him on Twitter @YaronWeitzman.