José ‘Piculín’ Ortiz, member of the International Basketball Hall of Fame, died early this Tuesday at the age of 62 after an arduous battle against colorectal cancer, sports sources confirmed.
Ortiz, a Puerto Rican basketball legend, competed in four Olympic Games (Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Athens 2004).
He also played in the NBA with the Utah Jazz and, among other teams in Spain, Accurate Madrid and FC Barcelona.
The legendary center was held in the Smartly Being facility Ashford, in San Juan, since May 1. He was accompanied at all times by his wife, Sylvia Ríos, as well as by his daughter Neira, family and friends, the Puerto Rico Basketball Federation detailed in a statement.
Puerto Rican figures say goodbye to “Piculín” Ortiz, Puerto Rican basketball legend
Following the news, renowned sports figures, including the president of the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee, Sara Rosario, as well as former player and former leader Alex Cora, They offered their condolences.
“Puerto Rico loses today one of its greatest athletes and a true symbol of what it means to compete for our flag. Piculín was much more than an extraordinary basketball player; “He was a leader, a reference and an athlete who embodied the values of Olympism in every stage in which he represented our country,” said Rosario.
Cora, the only Puerto Rican to win a World Series of Baseball championship as a manager, thanked Ortiz “for so many good moments” in which he raised the spirits of Puerto Ricans in the Olympic, World and Pan American Games, among other tournaments.
“Rest in peace Piculin. Thank you for so many good moments. #ElConcord. How great you are!” Cora said on her X account.
Known as ‘El Concord’ and his mythical number 4 on his shirt, Ortiz was born on October 25, 1963 in Aibonito (center) and grew up in the nearby city of Cayey, where he began to develop in basketball.
In 1987, he became the second Puerto Rican – after Butch Lee – to be selected in the NBA draft, when he was chosen by the Utah Jazz with number 15.
In his homeland, Ortiz established himself as one of the most successful players in the history of the National Superior Basketball, the Puerto Rican League, where he won 8 championships.
Since then, he represented Puerto Rico in multiple competitions, including the match in which his team defeated the United States at the 2004 Athens Olympics. In that match, the North American team suffered its first Olympic setback with NBA players – it was subsequently eliminated in the semifinals by Argentina, the eventual champions.
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