José "Piculín" Ortiz, Puerto Rican basketball legend, dies at 62

José "Piculín" Ortiz died Tuesday at Ashford Hospital in San Juan, with his wife Sylvia Ríos and daughter Neira at his side. He was 62. He had battled colorectal cancer since late 2023.

Ortiz was Puerto Rico in basketball form. A 6-foot-11 pivot who played in four Olympic Games (1988, 1992, 1996, 2004) and four FIBA World Championships (1990, 1994, 1998, 2002). Pac-10 Player of the Year at Oregon State in 1987. FIBA Hall of Fame inductee in 2019. Eight Puerto Rican League (BSN) titles.

The signature moment: Athens 2004. Ortiz was on the floor when Puerto Rico beat Team USA 92-73 — the first Olympic loss the U.S. had taken since they started using NBA professionals. Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Tim Duncan all on that U.S. roster. None of it mattered. Piculín was the man holding down the middle.