José Ortiz (basketball)

José Ortiz was born in Aibonito, Puerto Rico, on October 25, 1963, but he was raised in Cayey. His parents, German Ortiz and Elba Ríjos, were both school teachers. Ortiz started his basketball career playing as a center, at Benjamin Harrison School in Cayey. He was nicknamed Piculín, after one of the characters in The Wizard of Oz and The Concorde, as a reference to the popular plane and his height (6'11"). Ortiz earned a Bachelor's degree in Communications from Oregon State University. ==College career==

Ortiz attended Oregon State University, where he played college basketball with the Oregon State Beavers, from 1985 to 1987, under the team's head coach Ralph Miller. At Oregon State, he was a teammate of future Basketball Hall of Fame player Gary Payton, during the latter's freshman year. During his two seasons with the Beavers, Ortiz averaged 19.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. After the 1986–87 season, he was named the Pac-10 Player of the Year, finishing ahead of (among others) future Basketball Hall of Fame player Reggie Miller of UCLA, in the voting. Ortiz also earned an NCAA DI All-American Honorable Mention, in the 1986–87 season. ==Professional career==

Puerto Rico In 1980, at age 17, Ortiz debuted with the Atléticos de San Germán from the Baloncesto Superior Nacional league in Puerto Rico. As his career progressed, he improved his game significantly, and he led San Germán to a league championship in 1985. That season, Ortiz averaged more than 25 points and 14 rebounds per game. He would lead the team to a second league title in 1991, while he averaged 19 points and 15.8 rebounds per game. After the 1991 season, Ortiz left the Puerto Rican League to play in Europe. He would return to the league in 1994, and lead San Germán to yet another title. In 1998, Ortiz was released by San Germán. He then went on to play with Cangrejeros de Santurce, and helped them win four titles in a row (1998–2001). In 2002, Ortiz was named the Most Valuable Player of the league, although his team did not reach the league's Finals. Ortiz and the Cangrejeros again won another league title, in 2003, making Ortiz only the third player to win eight titles in the league. After that season, he returned to the U.S., to play with the Utah Jazz of the NBA. After being waived by the Jazz in 1990, Ortiz was signed by the Spanish club Real Madrid. While a member of Real Madrid, he played with players such as Fernando Romay, Antonio Martín Espina, and José "Chechu" Biriukov. After that season, he moved to the Spanish club FC Barcelona Banca Catalana, where he won the 1991 edition of the Spanish King's Cup. With Barcelona, he also finished in second place in the 1990–91 FIBA European Champions Cup (EuroLeague) season. During the 1991–92 ACB season, he was one of the team's leading rebounders. After that, Ortiz played with the Spanish clubs Festina Andorra (1992–93), Unicaja Polti (1993–94), and the Greek Basket League clubs Gymnastikos S. Larissas (1994–95), Iraklio Crete (1995–96), and Aris Thessaloniki (1996–97). Ortiz helped Aris to win the championship of the 1996–97 FIBA Korać Cup season. After his season with Aris, Ortiz was offered a two-year contract that was worth approximately $1 million in net income per season, by the Greek club PAOK Thessaloniki. However, the contract was declared null and void, when laboratory tests for steroids allegedly came back positive. Ortiz appealed the decision and won, but he refused to return to Europe to play. Venezuela In 1997, Ortiz played with Guaiqueríes de Margarita, of the Venezuelan League. With his club, he won the league's championship, and he was named the MVP of the league's finals. ==National team career==

In 1982, Ortiz reached the minimum age to join Puerto Rico's national basketball team, and in 1983, he saw his first international competition, at the Pan American Games of Caracas, Venezuela. At the 1987 Pan American Games, Ortiz was the flag-bearer for Puerto Rico. They won the bronze medal at that tournament. Ortiz also helped the Puerto Rican National basketball team earn a gold medal at the 1991 Pan American Games, which were held in Havana, Cuba. After the 2002 FIBA World Cup, which was held at Indianapolis, Ortiz announced his retirement from the national team, to coincide with national teammate Jerome Mincy's retirement from the team. However, Ortiz would later reconsider his decision to retire, and he rejoined the national team. In 2004, he was a part of the Puerto Rican team that defeated the 2004 Team USA at the Athens Summer Olympics. Overall, Ortiz played with Puerto Rico's national team at four FIBA World Cups (1990, 1994, 1998, and 2002), and at four Summer Olympics (1988, 1992, 1996, and 2004). ==Other ventures==

Entrepreneur Ortiz opened a restaurant called Patria, in his hometown of Cayey. However, in 2003, the restaurant went bankrupt. Politics Ortiz became interested in politics, after meeting politician Ferdinand Pérez in 2000. Pérez sought Ortiz's advice for legislative measures related to sports. Ortiz eventually accepted to run for Senator, behind Pérez's campaign for Mayor of San Juan, for the Popular Democratic Party. Ortiz ran for senatorial candidate from the district of San Juan-Guaynabo, in Puerto Rico's 2008 general elections. However, both their bids were unsuccessful. Pérez has said that Ortiz distanced from politics after the defeat. Social activism On May 28, 2011, Ortiz officially opened the Piculín Ortiz Basketball Institute, in Cayey. The former center aimed to develop the basketball skills and performance of local children and teenagers. == Trayectoria deportiva ==

Early life Ortiz was born in the town of Aibonito, Puerto Rico, but was raised in Cayey. He began his career as a center at Benjamin Harrison High School in Cayey. He received the nickname "Piculín" from a neighbor because of his mischievous behavior. He was also known as "El Concorde," in reference to the popular aircraft and his height. This latter nickname was given by BSN commentator Don Manuel Rivera Morales. Puerto Rico (BSN) Ortiz began playing basketball in Puerto Rico's league in 1981, when he was approximately 17 years old. He debuted with the Atléticos de San Germán, where he remained for 15 seasons. As his career progressed, his skills improved significantly, leading San Germán to a championship in 1985. That season, he averaged more than 25 points and 14 rebounds per game. He later guided his team to a second championship in 1991, while averaging 19 points and 15.8 rebounds. After the 1991 season, he left the league to play in Europe. College career Ortiz attended Oregon State University from 1985 to 1987, where he was coached by Ralph Miller. He was also a teammate of future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame member Gary Payton during Payton's freshman year. Over his two seasons with the Beavers, Ortiz averaged 19.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. At the end of the 1986–87 season, he was named Pac-10 Player of the Year, surpassing, among others, Reggie Miller of University of California, Los Angeles. ==Personal life==

Ortiz married actress Nirita Ruíz, with whom he had one daughter, Volleyball player Neira, and whom he had met during the filming of a commercial for Aqua Velva, in which both acted. He also had a son from a previous relationship. However, the couple divorced in 2006. On November 4, 2011, Ortiz declared himself guilty of the charges against him. The next week, he failed a surprise drug test, which revealed he had used cocaine. Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico Camille Vélez Rivé ordered the immediate imprisonment of Ortiz, arguing that she had given him several opportunities already. On March 29, 2012, he was sentenced to six months in prison. On January 14, 2025, he had surgery to treat his cancer and was released after two weeks in the hospital for the surgery, but was re-hospitalized days after, and the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation announced that blood donations were needed for the former basketball player. Ortiz died in San Juan on May 5, 2026, at Ashford Presbyterian Community Hospital in San Juan, Puerto Rico at the age of 62. ==Career statistics==