Jose Alvarado (basketball)

Jose Alvarado

Alvarado with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in 2019
No. 15–New Orleans Pelicans
Position	Point guard
League	NBA
Personal information
Born	(1998-04-12) April 12, 1998 (age 26) Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Nationality	Puerto Rican
Listed height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight	179 lb (81 kg)
Career information
High school	Christ the King (Middle Village, New York)
College	Georgia Tech (2017–2021)
NBA draft	2021: undrafted
Playing career	2021–present
Career history
2021–present	New Orleans Pelicans
Career highlights and awards
ACC Defensive Player of the Year (2021) Second-team All-ACC (2021) Third-team All-ACC (2020)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

Jose Alvarado (born April 12, 1998) is a Puerto Rican-American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is nicknamed "Grand Theft Alvarado" due to his ability to create steals. ^[1] Alvarado represents Puerto Rico internationally since 2022. He played college basketball for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Early life

Alvarado played football in his childhood but quit after injuring his neck. ^[2] He played basketball for Christ the King Regional High School in Middle Village, Queens in New York City. As a junior, Alvarado averaged 17 points and 6.5 assists per game and was named Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) Player of the Year. ^[3] As a senior, he recorded 18 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals, the first quadruple-double in school history, in a December 22, 2016, win over Xaverian High School. ^[4] In his senior season, Alvarado averaged 17.9 points per game and led Christ the King to the CHSAA intersectional quarterfinals. He was named TimesLedger Player of the Year. ^[5]

Alvarado was considered a four-star recruit by ESPN and Rivals and a three-star recruit by 247Sports in the 2017 class. ^{[6] [7]} On September 15, 2016, he committed to play college basketball for Georgia Tech over offers from Rutgers and Seton Hall, among others. ^[8] Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner had first seen Alvarado at the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League. ^[9]

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Jose Alvarado PG	Brooklyn, NY	Christ the King (NY)	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	Sep 15, 2016
	Star ratings: Rivals:     247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 80
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 130   247Sports: 179   ESPN: —
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Georgia Tech 2017 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 21, 2020. "2017 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 21, 2020. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 21, 2020.

College career

As a freshman, Alvarado started in all 25 of his games and averaged 12.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. He became the fourth Georgia Tech freshman to average at least 12 points, 3.5 rebounds, and two assists per game. ^[10] He suffered a season-ending left elbow fracture against Duke on February 11, 2018. ^[11] Alvarado had an increased role in his sophomore season with the early departure of Josh Okogie. ^[12] On February 20, 2019, Alvarado scored a career-high 29 points to go with six rebounds and five assists in a 73–65 win over Pittsburgh. ^[13] As a sophomore, Alvarado averaged 12.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, leading his team in scoring, assists and steals. ^[14] Georgia Tech was banned from the postseason by the NCAA during his junior season due to several infractions. ^[2] He missed seven games early in his junior season due to an ankle injury. ^[15] On January 25, 2020, Alvarado scored a season-high 26 points and recorded eight rebounds and a school-record nine steals in a 64–58 victory over NC State. ^[16] In his junior season, he averaged 14.4 points, four assists, 3.4 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game and was named to the Third Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). ^[14] In his senior year, Alvarado and Moses Wright led Georgia Tech to its first ACC title since 1993, by defeating Scottie Barnes and Florida State in the championship game of the ACC tournament. ^[17] At the end of the season, he was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. ^{[18] [19]}

Professional career

New Orleans Pelicans (2021–present)

Alvarado passed on gaining an additional year in college due to COVID-19 game cancellations and declared himself eligible for the 2021 NBA draft. After being undrafted, on August 19, 2021, he signed a two-way contract with the New Orleans Pelicans. Under the terms of the deal, he split time with the Pelicans and their NBA G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron. ^[20] During a game against the Philadelphia 76ers on January 25, 2022, Alvarado was issued a technical foul after an in-game verbal altercation with Philadelphia center Joel Embiid. The incident received press coverage after Embiid praised Alvarado and paid the $2,000 league fine associated with it. ^[21] On March 28, Alvarado's two-way deal was converted into a standard 4-year, $6.5 million contract. ^{[22] [23]} This signing made him eligible for post-season play. ^[23]

In 2022, Alvarado gained social media traction for highlight clips of him creating steals by sneaking up behind the opposing team's ball handler, which also led to his nickname "Grand Theft Alvarado". ^{[24] [25]}

On December 4, 2022, Alvarado scored a career-high 38 points in a 121–106 win over the Denver Nuggets. ^[26] On February 17, 2023, he won the Rising Stars Challenge MVP award after hitting the game-winning shot. ^[27] On February 28, the Pelicans announced that Alvarado had suffered a stress reaction in his right tibia and would be re-evaluated in three weeks. ^[28] On March 22, the Pelicans announced that Alvarado would be sidelined for at least another two-to-three weeks, ending his season. ^[29]

On September 28, 2024, Alvarado signed a 2-year, $9 million contract extension. ^[30]

National team career

Although a native of Brooklyn, NY, Alvarado represents Puerto Rico at the international level due to his Puerto Rican ancestry. ^[31] Alvarado was recruited in 2022 by Carlos Arroyo, retired team captain and current general manager. ^[32] He was part of the team that helped Puerto Rico qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics after defeating both Mexico in the semifinals and Lithuania in the final of one of four 2024 FIBA Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournaments. ^[33] He was named MVP of the tournament after he averaged 16.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.3 steals, and had a 29-point performance against Italy and 23 points against Lithuania. ^[34]

Alvarado plays mainly as a shooting guard for the national team.

Career statistics

Legend

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

NBA

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2021–22	New Orleans	54	1	15.4	.446	.291	.679	1.9	2.8	1.3	.1	6.1
2022–23	New Orleans	61	10	21.5	.411	.336	.813	2.3	3.0	1.1	.2	9.0
2023–24	New Orleans	56	0	18.4	.412	.377	.673	2.3	2.1	1.1	.3	7.1
Career		171	11	18.6	.420	.342	.735	2.2	2.7	1.2	.2	7.5

Play-in

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2022	New Orleans	2	0	19.5	.357	.600	.750	2.5	3.0	.5	.0	8.0
2024	New Orleans	2	0	24.6	.533	.500	1.000	3.5	4.5	1.0	.5	10.0
Career		4	0	22.0	.448	.545	.800	3.0	3.8	.8	.3	9.0

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2022	New Orleans	6	0	19.5	.485	.375	.769	1.3	1.5	1.2	.2	8.0
2024	New Orleans	4	0	15.4	.150	.071	—	1.0	2.3	1.3	.3	1.8
Career		10	0	17.9	.358	.233	.769	1.2	1.8	1.2	.2	5.5

College

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2017–18	Georgia Tech	25	25	35.0	.448	.370	.802	3.7	3.1	1.7	.1	12.1
2018–19	Georgia Tech	31	30	34.2	.392	.286	.743	3.9	3.4	1.8	.1	12.5
2019–20	Georgia Tech	24	23	33.5	.444	.336	.793	3.4	4.0	2.2	.1	14.4
2020–21	Georgia Tech	26	26	37.1	.504	.390	.838	3.5	4.1	2.8	.0	15.2
Career		106	104	34.9	.444	.341	.790	3.6	3.6	2.1	.1	13.5

Personal life

Alvarado is of Puerto Rican and Mexican heritage. He and his girlfriend have a daughter who was born in 2020. ^{[2] [35]}

References

1. Roberson, Josh (November 12, 2022). "From undrafted rookie to household name, 'Grand Theft Alvarado's cult following grows with Pels hype". FOX 8. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
2. Hummer, Steve (March 5, 2020). "The spirit of Tech basketball, Jose Alvarado attacks one complex life". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Retrieved July 4, 2020.
3. Barca, Christopher (February 25, 2016). "Christ the King's Jose Alvarado wins MVP". Queens Chronicle . Retrieved July 4, 2020.
4. McKeon, Cameron (February 22, 2020). "Georgia Tech's Jose Alvarado's all-around game makes him irreplaceable". The Daily Orange . Retrieved July 4, 2020.
5. Amato, Laura (April 24, 2017). "Royal reign: Alvarado tops in Queens". Queens News and Community. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
6. "Jose Alvarado – Basketball Recruiting – Player Profiles". ESPN . Retrieved January 18, 2017.
7. "Jose Alvarado, 2017 Point guard". Rivals . Retrieved January 18, 2017.
8. Sugiura, Ken (September 15, 2016). "Pastner lands point guard Jose Alvarado, first commit of 2017 class". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Retrieved July 4, 2020.
9. Awtrey, Stan (January 25, 2018). "Tech's Alvarado works through freshman growing pains". The Telegraph . Retrieved July 4, 2020.
10. Callaghan-Croley, Dylan (March 23, 2018). "Alvarado's quiet but special freshman season". Yellow Jacked Up. FanSided. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
11. "Georgia Tech's Jose Alvarado to miss remainder of season". USA Today . Associated Press. February 12, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
12. Geisinger, Brian (July 11, 2018). "Better Know a Player: Now healthy, Is Georgia Tech's Jose Alvarado ready for a bigger role?". Atlantic Coast Conference . Retrieved July 5, 2020.
13. "Jose Alvarado's career-high 29 leads Georgia Tech over Pitt". Gwinnett Daily Post . Field Level Media. February 20, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
14. "#10 Jose Alvarado, G". Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. June 18, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
15. Awtrey, Stan (January 15, 2020). "Since the return of this point guard, Georgia Tech has looked like a different basketball team". The Telegraph . Retrieved July 5, 2020.
16. Sugiura, Ken (January 26, 2020). "After review, Georgia Tech's Jose Alvarado awarded school steal record". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Retrieved July 5, 2020.
17. Bradley, Mark (March 14, 2021). "A return to glory: Georgia Tech wins the ACC title". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Retrieved May 1, 2022.
18. "ACC announces 2020-21 men's basketball awards; Hokies' Young named Coach of the Year". WTKR. March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
19. "ACC Men's Basketball Awards Announced". TheACC.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
20. "Pelicans sign Jose Alvarado and Daulton Hommes to two-way contracts". National Basketball Association. August 19, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
21. Lopez, Andrew (January 27, 2022). "Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid pays New Orleans Pelicans rookie Jose Alvarado's fine after spat". ESPN. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
22. "Pelicans sign Jose Alvarado to multi-year contract". National Basketball Association. March 28, 2022. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
23. Lopez, Andrew (March 28, 2022). "Pelicans sign PG Alvarado to multiyear contract". ESPN. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
24. Kimble, Terry (September 15, 2022). "Jose Alvarado, The People's Champ: Pelicans Player Season Preview". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved December 19, 2024.
25. "Pelicans' Jose Alvarado is still sneaking up on the NBA: 'He just plays fierce'". CBS Sports . February 17, 2023 [2022-11-14]. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
26. Sabri, Alex (December 4, 2022). "Jose Alvarado sets insane mark not seen since 1970". ClutchPoints. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
27. "Pelicans' Jose Alvarado steals show, wins Rising Stars MVP". ESPN. February 18, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
28. "Jose Alvarado suffers stress reaction in tibia". HoopsHype. March 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
29. "New Orleans Pelicans announce medical updates". NBA. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
30. "Sources: Pels extend Alvarado for 2 years, $9M". ESPN.com. September 28, 2024. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
31. Terry Kimble (April 15, 2022). "Jose Alvarado to Play for Puerto Rico's National Basketball Team". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
32. "José Alvarado se prueba como boricua al declarar que quiere derrotar al Team USA". Primera Hora (in Spanish). June 22, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
33. "Puerto Rico ends 20-year Olympic drought with historic win over Lithuania". fiba.basketball. July 7, 2024.
34. "Alvarado earns TISSOT MVP honors at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in San Juan". fiba.basketball. July 7, 2024.
35. Sugiura, Ken (February 5, 2020). "After win over Hokies, Jose Alvarado readies for baby". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Retrieved July 4, 2020.

External links

• Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets bio
• Jose Alvarado at FIBA.basketball
• Jose Alvarado at NBA
• Jose Alvarado at Eurobasket.com
• Jose Alvarado at RealGM
• Jose Alvarado at Proballers