The legendary Piculín Ortiz, one of Puerto Rico’s greatest basketball players, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 62 following a long battle with colorectal cancer.
A dominant center, Ortiz had a distinguished career in Spanish basketball, playing for both Barcelona and Real Madrid, as well as CAI Zaragoza, Festina Andorra, and Unicaja Málaga. During his time with Barcelona, he won the Copa del Rey and reached the Euroleague final.
Ortiz also played in the NBA for the Utah Jazz and in the Greek League with Gymnastikos Larissas, Iraklis Crete, and AEK Athens, winning the Korac Cup with the latter.
Representing Puerto Rico, he participated in five FIBA World Championships and four Olympic Games, retiring after the Athens 2004 Olympics.
In recognition of his illustrious career, Ortiz was inducted into the Puerto Rican Sports Hall of Fame in 2018 and the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2019.