José Rafael "Piculín" Ortiz Rijos (born October 25, 1963) is a Puerto Rican former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. He played in the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

, NBA, various European teams, and in Puerto Rico's Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). While he was in the NBA, he played with the Utah Jazz. He played with the Puerto Rican clubs Atléticos de San Germán, Cangrejeros de Santurce, and Capitanes de Arecibo, while he was in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional. Ortiz was also a member of the senior Puerto Rican national team, from 1983 to 2004. Most notably, he was a member of the 2004 Puerto Rican team that defeated the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. With Puerto Rico, Ortiz played in four different Summer Olympics, as he played at the 1988 Seoul Games, the 1992 Barcelona Games, the 1996 Atlanta Games, and the 2004 Athens Games. Ortiz holds various honors and records as a basketball player. He ranks fourth and sixth among the all-time statistical leaders for rebounds per game and total rebounds, in the Baloncesto 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 was drafted into the NBA. Many basketball experts consider Ortiz to be the best Puerto Rican basketball player of all-time.José “Piculín” Ortiz Rijos: Brillante trayectoria deportiva
on '' Primera Hora'' (June 30, 2011) Despite his success in sports, Ortiz went through financial troubles, after he retired from playing professional club basketball. In 2011, he was arrested for the possession of 218 marijuana plants. He was sentenced to six months in prison. On August 30, 2019, Ortiz was inducted into the FIBA 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.

Early life and education

José Ortiz was born in Aibonito, Puerto Rico on October 25, 1963, but he was raised in Cayey. His parents, German Ortiz and Elba Ríos, were both school teachers.''1985–86 Oregon State Basketball.'' Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University Athletic Department, 1985; p. 58. Ortiz started his basketball career playing as a center, at Benjamin Harrison High 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 A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in Communications from Oregon State University.

College career

Ortiz attended Oregon State University, where he played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

with the

Oregon State Beavers The Oregon State Beavers are the sport, athletic teams that represent Oregon State University, located in Corvallis, Oregon. The Beavers compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I (NCAA Division I ...

, 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.Jose Ortiz
on Basketball-Reference 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 The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

, in the voting.Trayectoria deportiva de Piculín Ortiz
on '' El Nuevo Día'' (June 30, 2011) 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 Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. 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. Ortiz played with Santurce for two more years, and in 2006, he played with the Capitanes 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.

NBA

After graduating from Oregon State University, Ortiz entered the 1987 NBA draft. He was selected in the first round, with the number 15 overall draft pick, by the Utah Jazz. However, before his first NBA season, he received an offer from CAI Zaragoza, of Spain's Liga ACB, and he accepted it. Ortiz rejoined the Jazz for the 1988–89 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 the 1989–90 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. Ortiz wore the number 44 during his NBA career.

Europe

Ortiz joined the Spanish ACB League club CAI Zaragoza in 1987. During the 1987–88 ACB season, he was the second leading scorer of the team, with a scoring average of 17.4 points per game. 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 In business and Accountancy, accounting, net income (also total comprehensive income, net earnings, net profit, bottom line, sales profit, or credit sales) is an entity's income minus cost of goods sold, expenses, depreciation and Amortization (a ...

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 The 1987 Pan American Games, officially known as the X Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event held in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, on August 7–23, 1987. Over 4,300 athletes from 38 countries in the Americas ...

, 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 Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

. After the 2002 FIBA World Cup, which was held at

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, 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 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

, 1998, and 2002), and at four Summer Olympics ( 1988, 1992, 1996, and

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

Other ventures

Entrepreneur

Ortiz opened a restaurant called ''Patria'', in his hometown of Cayey. However, in 2003, the restaurant went bankrupt.El derrumbe de Piculin Ortiz
on '' El Nuevo Día'' (July 1, 2011)

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' 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.

Personal life

Ortiz married actress Nirita Ruíz, with whom he had one daughter,

Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

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. He has been in a relationship with Sylvia Ríos, since 2009 and married her in 2021.

Legal problems

On June 29, 2011, Ortiz was arrested for drug related charges. Federal agents seized 218 marijuana plants in a rented property, along with munitions for AR-15 rifles. Ortiz allegedly claimed possession of all the material during the arrest. At the bail 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. On November 4, 2011, Ortiz declared himself guilty of the charges against him.Piculín Ortiz se declara culpable y podría ir preso
on '' El Nuevo Día''; Suárez Torres, Lymaris (November 5, 2011) The next week, he failed a surprise drug test, which revealed he had used

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

. Judge 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.

Health

In 2023, Ortiz was diagnosed with

colorectal cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the Colon (anatomy), colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include Lower gastrointestinal ...

. 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.

Career statistics

NCAA

, - , align="left" , 1985–86 , align="left" , Oregon State , 22 , , - , , 34.8 , , .515 , , - , , .664 , , 8.5 , , 1.3 , , 0.6 , , 1.5 , , 16.4 , - , align="left" , 1986–87 , align="left" , Oregon State , 30 , , - , , 36.7 , , .584 , , .500 , , .725 , , 8.7 , , 1.6 , , 1.2 , , 1.4 , , 22.3 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , , 52 , , - , , 35.9 , , .557 , , .500 , , .703 , , 8.7 , , 1.5 , , 0.9 , , 1.4 , , 19.8

NBA

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, 51 , , 15 , , 6.4 , , .440 , , .000 , , .596 , , 1.1 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 2.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 13 , , 0 , , 4.9 , , .452 , , .500 , , .600 , , 1.2 , , 0.5 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 3.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", , 64 , , 15 , , 6.1 , , .443 , , .333 , , .596 , , 1.1 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 2.9

BSN

, - , align="left" , 1980 , align="left" , San Germán , 6 , , .500 , , .000 , , .800 , , 0.7 , , 0.0 , , 1.7 , - , align="left" , 1981 , align="left" , San Germán , 9 , , .357 , , .000 , , .400 , , 1.6 , , 0.0 , , 1.6 , - , align="left" , 1982 , align="left" , San Germán , 14 , , .356 , , .000 , , .500 , , 3.1 , , 0.0 , , 2.9 , - , align="left" , 1983 , align="left" , San Germán , 33 , , .549 , , .000 , , .606 , , 10.3 , , 0.6 , , 14.1 , - , align="left" , 1984 , align="left" , San Germán , 29 , , .575 , , .000 , , .631 , , 13.1 , , 1.1 , , 21.1 , - , align="left" , 1985 , align="left" , San Germán , 29 , , .610 , , .400 , , .660 , , 14.4 , , 0.9 , , 25.5 , - , align="left" , 1986 , align="left" , San Germán , 24 , , .568 , , .000 , , .678 , , 11.3 , , 1.7 , , 18.8 , - , align="left" , 1987 , align="left" , San Germán , 22 , , .636 , , .500 , , .769 , , 13.7 , , 1.8 , , 23.7 , - , align="left" , 1988 , align="left" , San Germán , 31 , , .590 , , .200 , , .768 , , 11.5 , , 2.3 , , 20.2 , - , align="left" , 1989 , align="left" , San Germán , 23 , , .569 , , .000 , , .752 , , 11.0 , , 2.1 , , 19.7 , - , align="left" , 1990 , align="left" , San Germán , 19 , , .630 , , .688 , , .774 , , 12.7 , , 2.8 , , 22.5 , - , align="left" , 1991 , align="left" , San Germán , 11 , , .614 , , .333 , , .768 , , 15.8 , , 2.3 , , 19.9 , - , align="left" , 1994 , align="left" , San Germán , 14 , , .636 , , .000 , , .818 , , 9.6 , , 3.4 , , 17.3 , - , align="left" , 1995 , align="left" , San Germán , 19 , , .594 , , .296 , , .731 , , 11.8 , , 2.9 , , 20.2 , - , align="left" , 1996 , align="left" , San Germán , 25 , , .647 , , .400 , , .711 , , 13.8 , , 3.3 , , 20.5 , - , align="left" , 1998 , align="left" , Santurce , 29 , , .608 , , .269 , , .704 , , 12.6 , , 3.5 , , 19.3 , - , align="left" , 1999 , align="left" , Santurce , 18 , , .609 , , .250 , , .667 , , 10.1 , , 3.3 , , 20.6 , - , align="left" , 2000 , align="left" , Santurce , 28 , , .575 , , .273 , , .663 , , 9.0 , , 3.0 , , 18.0 , - , align="left" , 2001 , align="left" , Santurce , 23 , , .576 , , .238 , , .656 , , 10.1 , , 2.8 , , 19.7 , - , align="left" , 2002 , align="left" , Santurce , 27 , , .603 , , .333 , , .629 , , 9.6 , , 3.3 , , 19.4 , - , align="left" , 2003 , align="left" , Santurce , 16 , , .457 , , .318 , , .464 , , 8.6 , , 3.6 , , 14.1 , - , align="left" , 2004 , align="left" , Santurce , 29 , , .498 , , .000 , , .623 , , 7.4 , , 3.0 , , 10.4 , - , align="left" , 2005 , align="left" , Santurce , 23 , , .496 , , .286 , , .404 , , 6.5 , , 1.9 , , 10.9 , - , align="left" , 2006 , align="left" , Arecibo , 4 , , .474 , , .000 , , .500 , , 5.5 , , 1.5 , , 5.0 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , , 505 , , .582 , , .307 , , .680 , , 10.5 , , 2.2 , , 17.7

References

External links

FIBA ProfileFIBA Hall of Fame ProfileSpanish League Archive Profile

Puerto Rican League Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ortiz, Jose 1963 births Living people 1998 FIBA World Championship players 2002 FIBA World Championship players American expatriate basketball people in Greece American men's basketball players American people convicted of drug offenses American sportspeople convicted of crimes Aris B.C. players Atléticos de San Germán players Baloncesto Málaga players Baloncesto Superior Nacional players Basketball players at the 1988 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 1983 Pan American Games Basketball players at the 1987 Pan American Games Basketball players at the 1991 Pan American Games BC Andorra players Expatriate basketball people in Andorra CB Zaragoza players Centers (basketball) Competitors at the 1994 Goodwill Games FIBA Hall of Fame inductees FC Barcelona Bàsquet players Goodwill Games medalists in basketball Guaiqueríes de Margarita players Gymnastikos S. Larissas B.C. players Irakleio B.C. players Liga ACB players NBA players from Puerto Rico Olympic basketball players for Puerto Rico Oregon State Beavers men's basketball players Pan American Games bronze medalists for Puerto Rico Pan American Games gold medalists for Puerto Rico Pan American Games gold medalists in basketball Pan American Games bronze medalists in basketball P.A.O.K. BC players People from Aibonito, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican expatriate sportspeople in Spain Puerto Rican men's basketball players 1990 FIBA World Championship players Puerto Rico men's national basketball team players Real Madrid Baloncesto players Utah Jazz draft picks Utah Jazz players Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1991 Pan American Games 1994 FIBA World Championship players 21st-century American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen