About José Ortiz (basketball)
José Rafael "Piculín" Ortiz Rijos (October 25, 1963 – May 5, 2026) was a Puerto Rican professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA), various European teams, and in Puerto Rico's Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). Ortiz played college basketball for the Oregon State Beavers. 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 at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. 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. 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. Ortiz and the Cangrejeros again won another league title, in 2003, making Ortiz only the third player to win eight titles in the league.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.