 Ortiz (left) in 2007 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1963-10-25)October 25, 1963 (age 62) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 260 lb (118 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Benjamin Harrison (Cayey, Puerto Rico) |
| College | Oregon State (1985–1987) |
| NBA draft | 1987: 1st round, 15th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Utah Jazz |
| Playing career | 1980–2006 |
| Position | Power forward /center |
| Number | 4, 44 |
| Career history | |
| 1980–1991 | Atléticos de San Germán |
| 1987–1988 | CAI Zaragoza |
| 1988–1990 | Utah Jazz |
| 1990 | Real Madrid |
| 1990–1992 | FC Barcelona |
| 1992–1993 | Festina Andorra |
| 1993–1994 | Unicaja Polti |
| 1994–1996 | Atléticos de San Germán |
| 1994–1995 | Gymnastikos S. Larissas |
| 1995–1996 | Iraklio Crete |
| 1996–1997 | Aris |
| 1997 | Guaiqueríes de Margarita |
| 1997–1998 | Aris |
| 1998–2005 | Cangrejeros de Santurce |
| 2006 | Capitanes de Arecibo |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 8,925 (17.7 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 5,314 (10.5 rpg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
| FIBA Hall of Fame | |
José Rafael "Piculín"Ortiz Rijos (born October 25, 1963) is a Puerto Rican former professionalbasketball player. He played in theNBA, various European teams, and in Puerto Rico'sBaloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). Ortiz playedcollege basketball for theOregon State Beavers.
While he was in the NBA, he played with theUtah Jazz. He played with the Puerto Rican clubsAtléticos de San Germán,Cangrejeros de Santurce, andCapitanes de Arecibo, while he was in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional. Ortiz was also a member of the seniorPuerto Rican national team, from 1983 to 2004. Most notably, he was a member of the 2004 Puerto Rican team that defeated theUnited States at the2004 Summer Olympic Games inAthens,Greece.[1] With Puerto Rico, Ortiz played in four differentSummer Olympics, as he played at the1988 Seoul Games, the1992 Barcelona Games, the1996 Atlanta Games, and the2004 Athens Games.
Ortiz holds various honors and records as a basketball player. He ranks fourth and sixth among the all-time statistical leaders forrebounds per game and total rebounds, in theBaloncesto Superior Nacional league. He was also just the third player to have won eight championships in the BSN league. Ortiz was also the first Puerto Rican-born player that wasdrafted into the NBA. Many basketball experts consider Ortiz to be the best Puerto Rican basketball player of all-time.[2]
Despite his success in sports, Ortiz went through financial troubles, after he retired from playing professionalclub basketball. In 2011, he was arrested for the possession of 218marijuana plants. He was sentenced to six months in prison.[3]
On August 30, 2019, Ortiz was inducted into theFIBA Basketball Hall of Fame, in honor of his career with the senior Puerto Rican national basketball team, and his club career, that spanned a period of 26 years.[4]
José Ortiz was born inAibonito, Puerto Rico[5] on October 25, 1963, but he was raised inCayey. His parents, German Ortiz and Elba Ríos, were both school teachers.[6]
Ortiz started his basketball career playing as acenter, at Benjamin Harrison High School in Cayey. He was nicknamedPiculín, after one of the characters inThe Wizard of Oz andThe Concorde, as a reference to thepopular plane and his height (6'11"). Ortiz earned aBachelor's degree in Communications fromOregon State University.[7]
Ortiz attendedOregon State University, where he playedcollege basketball with theOregon State Beavers, from 1985 to 1987, under the team's head coachRalph Miller. At Oregon State, he was a teammate of futureBasketball Hall of Fame playerGary 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.[8] After the 1986–87 season, he was named thePac-10 Player of the Year, finishing ahead of (among others) future Basketball Hall of Fame playerReggie Miller ofUCLA, in the voting.[9] Ortiz also earned anNCAA DI All-American Honorable Mention, in the 1986–87 season.
In 1980, at age 17, Ortiz debuted with theAtléticos de San Germán from theBaloncesto 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 14rebounds 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.[10] After the 1991 season, Ortiz left the Puerto Rican League to play inEurope. 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 withCangrejeros de Santurce, and helped them win four titles in a row (1998–2001). In 2002, Ortiz was named theMost 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.[2]
Ortiz played with Santurce for two more years, and in 2006, he played with theCapitanes de Arecibo. However, he retired after just one season with the team. He finished his career in the BSN league with 8,915 points, 5,314 rebounds (#6), and 1,134 assists, in 505 regular season games played. To this day, he is considered by many experts to be the best Puerto Rican basketball player.[2]
After graduating fromOregon State University, Ortiz entered the1987 NBA draft. He was selected in the first round, with the number 15 overall draft pick, by theUtah Jazz. However, before his firstNBA season, he received an offer fromCAI Zaragoza, of Spain'sLiga ACB, and he accepted it. Ortiz rejoined the Jazz for the1988–89 season, and he debuted with the team on November 9, 1988. During his first season, Ortiz played in 51 games, and he was a starter in 15 of those games. He averaged 2.8 points and 1.1 rebounds per game.
Ortiz returned to the NBA for the1989–90 season, playing in 13 games with the Jazz, before being waived by the team on February 5, 1990. He finished his brief NBA career with an average of 2.9 points and 1.1 rebounds per game.[8] Ortiz wore the number 44 during his NBA career.
Ortiz joined theSpanish ACB League clubCAI Zaragoza in 1987. During the1987–88 ACB season, he was the second leading scorer of the team, with a scoring average of 17.4 points per game.[11] After that season, he returned to theU.S., to play with theUtah Jazz of theNBA.
After being waived by the Jazz in 1990, Ortiz was signed by the Spanish clubReal Madrid. While a member of Real Madrid, he played with players such asFernando Romay,Antonio Martín Espina, andJosé "Chechu" Biriukov. After that season, he moved to the Spanish clubFC Barcelona Banca Catalana, where he won the1991 edition of theSpanish King's Cup. With Barcelona, he also finished in second place in the1990–91 FIBA European Champions Cup (EuroLeague) season. During the1991–92 ACB season, he was one of the team's leading rebounders.[12]
After that, Ortiz played with the Spanish clubsFestina Andorra (1992–93),Unicaja Polti (1993–94), and theGreek Basket League clubsGymnastikos S. Larissas (1994–95),Iraklio Crete (1995–96), andAris Thessaloniki (1996–97). Ortiz helped Aris to win the championship of the1996–97 FIBA Korać Cup season.[13] After his season with Aris, Ortiz was offered a two-year contract that was worth approximately $1 million innet income per season, by the Greek clubPAOK Thessaloniki. However, the contract was declared null and void, when laboratory tests forsteroids allegedly came back positive. Ortiz appealed the decision and won, but he refused to return to Europe to play.[14]
In 1997, Ortiz played withGuaiqueríes de Margarita, of theVenezuelan League.[15] With his club, he won the league's championship, and he was named the MVP of the league's finals.
In 1982, Ortiz reached the minimum age to joinPuerto Rico's national basketball team, and in 1983, he saw his first international competition, at thePan American Games of Caracas, Venezuela. At the1987 Pan American Games, Ortiz was the flag-bearer for Puerto Rico. They won the bronze medal at that tournament.[16] Ortiz also helped the Puerto Rican National basketball team earn a gold medal at the1991 Pan American Games, which were held inHavana,Cuba.
After the2002 FIBA World Cup, which was held atIndianapolis, Ortiz announced his retirement from the national team, to coincide with national teammateJerome 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 the2004 Team USA at theAthens Summer Olympics.
Overall, Ortiz played with Puerto Rico's national team at fourFIBA World Cups (1990,1994,1998, and2002), and at fourSummer Olympics (1988,1992,1996, and2004).
Ortiz opened a restaurant calledPatria, in his hometown ofCayey. However, in 2003, the restaurant went bankrupt.[17]
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' campaign forMayor of San Juan, for thePopular Democratic Party. Ortiz ran for senatorial candidate from the district of San Juan-Guaynabo, inPuerto Rico's 2008 general elections. However, both their bids were unsuccessful.[18] Pérez has said that Ortiz distanced from politics after the defeat.[19]
On May 28, 2011, Ortiz officially opened the Piculín Ortiz Basketball Institute, in Cayey. The formercenter aimed to develop the basketball skills and performance of local children and teenagers.[20][9]
Ortiz married actress Nirita Ruíz, with whom he had one daughter,Volleyball playerNeira, and whom he had met during the filming of a commercial forAqua Velva, in which both acted.[21] He also had a son from a previous relationship.[22] However, the couple divorced in 2006.[17] He has been in a relationship with Sylvia Ríos, since 2009 and married her in 2021.
On June 29, 2011, Ortiz was arrested for drug related charges. Federal agents seized 218marijuana plants in a rented property, along with munitions forAR-15 rifles. Ortiz allegedly claimed possession of all the material during the arrest. At thebail hearing, Ortiz was legally represented by a public defender, since he claimed he had no money for a lawyer. At the hearing, the judge decided to send Ortiz to a rehabilitation clinic.[23]
On November 4, 2011, Ortiz declared himself guilty of the charges against him.[24] The next week, he failed a surprisedrug test, which revealed he had usedcocaine. Judge Camille Vélez Rivé ordered the immediate imprisonment of Ortiz, arguing that she had given him several opportunities already.[25] On March 29, 2012, he was sentenced to six months in prison.[3]
In 2023, Ortiz was diagnosed withcolorectal cancer.[26]
On 14 January, 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 are needed for the former basketball player.[27]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985–86 | Oregon State | 22 | - | 34.8 | .515 | - | .664 | 8.5 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 16.4 |
| 1986–87 | Oregon State | 30 | - | 36.7 | .584 | .500 | .725 | 8.7 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 22.3 |
| Career | 52 | - | 35.9 | .557 | .500 | .703 | 8.7 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 19.8 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988–89 | Utah | 51 | 15 | 6.4 | .440 | .000 | .596 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 2.8 |
| 1989–90 | Utah | 13 | 0 | 4.9 | .452 | .500 | .600 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 3.2 |
| Career | 64 | 15 | 6.1 | .443 | .333 | .596 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 2.9 |
| Year | Team | GP | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | San Germán | 6 | .500 | .000 | .800 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 1.7 |
| 1981 | San Germán | 9 | .357 | .000 | .400 | 1.6 | 0.0 | 1.6 |
| 1982 | San Germán | 14 | .356 | .000 | .500 | 3.1 | 0.0 | 2.9 |
| 1983 | San Germán | 33 | .549 | .000 | .606 | 10.3 | 0.6 | 14.1 |
| 1984 | San Germán | 29 | .575 | .000 | .631 | 13.1 | 1.1 | 21.1 |
| 1985 | San Germán | 29 | .610 | .400 | .660 | 14.4 | 0.9 | 25.5 |
| 1986 | San Germán | 24 | .568 | .000 | .678 | 11.3 | 1.7 | 18.8 |
| 1987 | San Germán | 22 | .636 | .500 | .769 | 13.7 | 1.8 | 23.7 |
| 1988 | San Germán | 31 | .590 | .200 | .768 | 11.5 | 2.3 | 20.2 |
| 1989 | San Germán | 23 | .569 | .000 | .752 | 11.0 | 2.1 | 19.7 |
| 1990 | San Germán | 19 | .630 | .688 | .774 | 12.7 | 2.8 | 22.5 |
| 1991 | San Germán | 11 | .614 | .333 | .768 | 15.8 | 2.3 | 19.9 |
| 1994 | San Germán | 14 | .636 | .000 | .818 | 9.6 | 3.4 | 17.3 |
| 1995 | San Germán | 19 | .594 | .296 | .731 | 11.8 | 2.9 | 20.2 |
| 1996 | San Germán | 25 | .647 | .400 | .711 | 13.8 | 3.3 | 20.5 |
| 1998 | Santurce | 29 | .608 | .269 | .704 | 12.6 | 3.5 | 19.3 |
| 1999 | Santurce | 18 | .609 | .250 | .667 | 10.1 | 3.3 | 20.6 |
| 2000 | Santurce | 28 | .575 | .273 | .663 | 9.0 | 3.0 | 18.0 |
| 2001 | Santurce | 23 | .576 | .238 | .656 | 10.1 | 2.8 | 19.7 |
| 2002 | Santurce | 27 | .603 | .333 | .629 | 9.6 | 3.3 | 19.4 |
| 2003 | Santurce | 16 | .457 | .318 | .464 | 8.6 | 3.6 | 14.1 |
| 2004 | Santurce | 29 | .498 | .000 | .623 | 7.4 | 3.0 | 10.4 |
| 2005 | Santurce | 23 | .496 | .286 | .404 | 6.5 | 1.9 | 10.9 |
| 2006 | Arecibo | 4 | .474 | .000 | .500 | 5.5 | 1.5 | 5.0 |
| Career | 505 | .582 | .307 | .680 | 10.5 | 2.2 | 17.7 |
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