José Ortiz: Legendary Basketball Star Passes Away

José Ortiz, a legendary Puerto Rican basketball player and Oregon State star, passed away at 62. He was a two-time Pac-10 first-team player and player of the year in 1986 and 1987. Ortiz was the first Puerto Rican ever drafted in the NBA, going 15th overall to the Utah Jazz in 1987. He played for Real Madrid and Barcelona in Spain, winning multiple titles and awards. Ortiz represented Puerto Rico in five Olympics, including the historic 2004 team that defeated Team USA. He was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2019. Ortiz battled colorectal cancer since late 2023 and passed away in San Juan surrounded by his family. Support the show: Get a discount at https://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN: [email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting. Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates: https://sources.thednn.ai/6e19c35743d05634