Center roundup: Lopez twins inch closer to realizing their NBA dream

What the identical twins haven't done much of is play basketball on different teams.

"Just some camps and stuff in high school," Brook says of their experience playing separately.

But unless a team makes an unlikely move to keep them together, Brook and Robin Lopez will become Brook Lopez and Robin Lopez after Thursday's NBA Draft.

The 20-year olds downplay the significance of their impending separation.

"It was going to happen eventually," says Brook, who adds that he looks forward to playing against his brother in the NBA.

"Our chemistry on the court is the same that any two players develop if they play together for a while," says Robin.

The two are identical genetically, but their playing styles are noticeably different. They are both 7 feet and around 260 pounds (Robin weighs five to 10 pounds less), but Brook is a prototypical center with polished footwork, big-time scoring prowess and shot-blocking ability.

Robin makes his biggest impact with his defensive intensity and rebounding.

During their two years at Stanford, the duo worked in tandem to dominate the paint. Brook - who is one minute older - shouldered most of the scoring load with his more developed offensive game.

Despite testing poorly in agility tests recently, Brook is expected to be taken among the first 10 picks of the draft, while Robin will likely be selected within the first 20.

The discrepancy is not a source of contention between the two and Robin is quick to point out that he is better than Brook at other things.

"Besides, who's to say he's a better basketball player?" Robin says.

Their mother, Debbie Ledford, who admits to not being the most objective analyst, says, "If anyone tries to tell me one is better, well what's better, an apple or an orange?"

Ledford, who recently retired from teaching after 33 years to help ease Brook and Robin's transition to the NBA, has always been closely involved in her sons' lives, and the pre-draft process has been no exception.

Following Stanford's loss to Texas in the Sweet 16, Brook and Robin sat down with their family to discuss their futures, ultimately deciding the time to make the leap was now.

"The twins' situation was such that with their basketball talents it was simply the right time to enter the draft," Ledford says. "Players' draft stock tends to fall after they stay, for whatever reason.

"There's only a limited amount of time to play basketball; they can get their degrees any time."

But for all the talk about being different people and different players, the Lopez twins did little to establish their individuality when asked separately how they felt about fulfilling their lifelong NBA dream.

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