SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — José “Piculín” Ortiz, a towering center revered as one of Puerto Rico’s greatest basketball players, died Tuesday at Ashford Hospital in San Juan. He was 62.
The Puerto Rico Basketball Federation said Ortiz had been battling colorectal cancer since late 2023 and was surrounded by his wife, Sylvia Ríos, and daughter, Neira Ortiz, at the time of his death. “Puerto Rico loses more than an athlete. It loses a legend,” the federation declared in a statement.
College stardom and NBA entry
Ortiz spent two seasons at Oregon State, capturing Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year honors in 1986-87 after averaging 22.3 points and 8.7 rebounds. The Utah Jazz selected him 15th overall in the 1987 NBA draft.
Rather than head directly to the NBA, the 6-foot-10 center joined Spanish club Zaragoza. He later appeared with the Jazz during parts of the 1988-89 and 1989-90 campaigns before returning to Europe, logging stints with powerhouses Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Club career in Europe and Latin America
Following several seasons on the continent, Ortiz signed with a Venezuelan squad in 1997 and went back to Puerto Rico a year later. He continued playing on the island until retiring in 2006.
International impact
Ortiz represented Puerto Rico in four FIBA World Championships (1990, 1994, 1998, 2002) and four Olympic Games (1988, 1992, 1996, 2004). At the 2004 Athens Games, he helped Puerto Rico hand the United States its first Olympic loss since NBA players began competing in 1992. His international résumé earned him induction into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2019.
Legal troubles after retirement
In 2011, federal agents discovered 218 marijuana plants in a rental property linked to Ortiz. He was ordered to a rehabilitation program, but after testing positive for cocaine later that year, he received a six-month jail sentence.
Ortiz’s death closes the chapter on a career that elevated Puerto Rican basketball on college, professional and international stages.
Source: ESPN
