José Ortiz, a Puerto Rican basketball legend and NBA draft pick, died at 62 after a battle with colorectal cancer.
José Ortiz, known by his nickname Piculín, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 62. The Puerto Rico Basketball Federation confirmed his death. Ortiz had been fighting colorectal cancer since late 2023. He died at Ashford Hospital in San Juan, surrounded by his wife Sylvia Ríos and daughter Neira Ortiz.
The Puerto Rico Basketball Federation released a statement remembering Ortiz. 'Puerto Rico loses more than an athlete. It loses a legend,' the federation said. The statement praised Ortiz for bringing joy, representing the country with pride, and elevating the island's profile in international basketball.
José Ortiz was selected 15th overall by the Utah Jazz in the 1987 NBA draft. Before joining Utah, he played for two seasons at Oregon State University. During his time at Oregon State, he earned Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year honors in 1986-87. His averages included 22.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game in that season.
Ortiz chose to play in Spain for one season with Zaragoza before joining the Utah Jazz in 1988-89. He spent parts of two seasons with the Jazz. After his NBA stint, he returned to Europe and played for Real Madrid and Barcelona, among other clubs. In 1997, he joined the Venezuelan league before returning to Puerto Rico a year later.
Ortiz represented Puerto Rico in four World Championships in 1990, 1994, 1998, and 2002. He also competed in four Olympic Games in 1988, 1992, 1996, and 2004. In 2019, he was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame for his contributions to basketball. His most notable moment came at the Athens Olympics in 2004 when Puerto Rico defeated the United States, ending their unbeaten streak with professional players.
After retiring in 2006, Ortiz faced legal issues. In 2011, federal agents discovered 218 marijuana plants in a house he was renting, leading to his arrest on drug possession charges. A judge ordered him to attend a rehabilitation clinic. Later that year, he tested positive for cocaine and was sentenced to six months in jail.