Francis Leo S. "Lebron" Lopez (born May 17, 2003) is a Filipino-Angolan college basketball player for the UP Fighting Maroons of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP).
He then gained significant attention after starring for Las Piñas in the 2018 edition of NCR Palaro, an annual sporting competition for youth from all over Metro Manila, where they just missed the medal rounds.
[4] He was also set to play in the NCAA Season 94 Shooting Stars competition, but didn't get to compete and was replaced by Sebastian Locsin.
[11] Against the NSNU Bullpups, he had 17 points, nine rebounds, and five blocks, but missed a go-ahead dunk that eventually led to a close loss.
[14] He was awarded a spot on the UAAP Juniors Mythical Team at the end of the season, and finished with averages of 16.0 points on 45% shooting, 9.2 rebounds and 3.0 blocks.
[3] In 2020, Lopez made it to the NBTC 24, a list of the top high school basketball players in the country.
On July 13, 2021, Lopez opted to leave Ateneo and signed with the Overtime Elite basketball league.
[20] He then spent time with the Philippines' men's national team and attempted to play for the Illawarra Hawks in the NBL, but due to his Filipino-Angolan heritage, did not qualify as an Asian import.
[17][22] On January 21, 2023, on the night Ateneo was celebrating its Season 85 basketball championship with a bonfire, it was reported that Lopez had committed to playing for the UP Fighting Maroons.
[23] Aside from his family and friends, he also credited UP star player and Gilas teammate Carl Tamayo for helping him in his decision.
[24] Lopez made his debut in Season 86 in a win over the Adamson Soaring Falcons, in which he only scored five points, but grabbed 13 rebounds.
[46] However, in Game 2, he missed four three throws and had a pair of turnovers in the clutch as DLSU went on a 10–2 run to claim a one-point win, tying the series.
This was his first major championship, as he had never won a title in high school and only had a silver medal from his time with the national team.
[51] In 2021, Lopez made his senior national team debut against Indonesia in the third window of the 2022 Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers.