Jose Alvarado Brought Puerto Rican Pride to the NBA Championship - Time Magazine
As the New York Knicks mounted one of the greatest comebacks in sports history, erasing a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit in Game 4 of the NBA Finals in June against the San Antonio Spurs, Knicks reserve guard Jose Alvarado refused to overthink the moment.
Alvarado, who at a generously listed 6 ft. checks in as one of the shortest players in the NBA, electrified the celebrity-soaked Madison Square Garden crowd; his defensive effort, two critical three-pointers, and a driving layup down the stretch helped the Knicks chip away at San Antonio’s seemingly insurmountable lead. “I kid you not, I was not once nervous in that game,” says Alvarado, 28. “Not once. It was like, ‘Let’s do it, let’s go have fun, and let’s enjoy this moment.’ And that’s exactly what I did.’”
Three nights later, Alvarado fulfilled an impossible dream: he won an NBA title with his hometown team. The Knicks ended their 53-year championship drought, and Alvarado, a hard-nosed spark plug of Puerto Rican descent who grew up honing his game in the playgrounds of Brooklyn and Queens, came to embody the resilience of not only the team he suited up for but also the people of his city—especially his fellow Puerto Ricans, whom he’s so proudly represented in the global spotlight.
At every stage of Alvarado’s career, he was written off. “Everyone was telling me, ‘Coach, you’re in the ACC. You can’t take this guy,’” says Josh Pastner, the former Georgia Tech coach who recruited Alvarado out of Christ the King High School in Queens. “‘He’s too small. He’s not quick enough. Come on, man.’” Alvarado was named conference defensive player of the year in 2021; Georgia Tech won the ACC tournament championship that season. “Winning is more important than breathing to him,” says Pastner, who now coaches at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
“I don’t pass the eye test,” Alvarado admits. He knows he doesn’t look the part. But he’s now an NBA champion who signed a three-year deal, worth more than $14 million, with the Knicks this summer.
So: “I wouldn’t trust the eye test.”
Alvarado credits his success to his New York City outer-borough upbringing. “I got my toughness and my grittiness from Brooklyn,” he says. “I got a lot of my skills playing great opponents from Queens.” Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted the seasons of many college players, in 2021 Alvarado could have returned to Georgia Tech for a fifth year of eligibility. He asked Pastner for $60,000 in name, image, and likeness money—chump change in today’s lucrative college sports economy. But five years ago, NIL rules hadn’t been formally put in place, so Pastner didn’t pay him. Alvarado bet on himself and went into the NBA draft. “Thank God I did,” he says.
“I wish I paid him the 60 grand,” says Pastner. “I mean, guys are asking me for a million dollars who average one point and can’t win a game. I would maybe have a Final Four underneath my belt.”
Although Alvarado didn’t get drafted in 2021, the New Orleans Pelicans signed him to a contract: in the Big Easy, he carved out a role as a defensive specialist, earning the nickname Grand Theft Alvarado.
Then, in February of this year, Alvarado learned that the Pelicans had traded him to the Knicks. “I automatically got water eyes because it was like, ‘Wow, I’m going to my hometown team,’” says Alvarado.
Leaving his teammates in New Orleans was bittersweet, but Alvarado fit right in with the Knicks: less than a week after the team acquired him, Alvarado scored 26 points, with eight three-pointers and five steals, against Philadelphia in just 19 minutes off the bench; he was the first reserve NBA player in history to record such sterling stats. These efforts, and the Knicks’ title, now offer him cult-hero status in New York. “After the championship, I can’t walk the streets,” he says. In late June, Alvarado brought the NBA championship trophy to Puerto Rico, where fans snapped his picture as he arrived at the airport. The governor honored Alvarado at a ceremony.
Alvarado also led Puerto Rico to an appearance in the 2024 Olympics, and was named Athlete of the Year at the 2025 National Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City. He plans on returning to the Olympics with Puerto Rico in 2028 in Los Angeles.
As for this upcoming NBA season? The reigning champion isn’t planning to take it easy. “What makes the story better,” asks Alvarado, “than to do it again?”
