Oregon State Basketball Legend José Ortiz Passes Away at 62
Today, basketball fans across the globe mourn the passing of legendary big man José Ortiz - an Oregon State alum - who passed away at the age of 62.
Ortiz' time in Corvallis was star-studded: he was recruited by the namesake of Oregon State's home court, head coach Ralph Miller, and he played alongside future Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Gary Payton Sr. Ortiz soon made a name for himself at Oregon State, averaging 19.8 points per game across two seasons, earning back-to-back First Team All-Pac 10 honors, and winning the Pac-10 Player of the Year award for the 1986-87 season.
Beyond Oregon State, Ortiz is known as the greatest Puerto Rican basketball player of his generation, and arguably the best basketball player to ever emerge from La Isla del Encanto. The 6'10" center first represented his homeland at the 1987 Pan American Games, competing against elite American college stars like David Robinson and Danny Manning. His international career featured four Olympic games (1988, 1992, 1996, 2004) and countless competitions. Ortiz won gold medals at the 1991 Pan American Games, the 1995 FIBA AmeriCup, and five separate FIBA Centrobasket competitions. Further, Ortiz made history as the first Puerto Rican to be selected in the NBA Draft, after the Utah Jazz took him 15th overall in 1987.
Before the start of his first NBA season, Ortiz accepted an offer to play in Spain for Club Baloncesto Zaragoza. Returning stateside for the 1988-1989 season, the Oregon State big man played 51 games for the Jazz. Midway through the following season, Utah waived him. From there, he joined Spanish multi-sport superclubs Real Madrid and FC Barcelona Bàsquet.
Ortiz' European basketball career featured All-Star nods in Spain and Greece, victory in the 1991 Spanish Cup, the 1997 FIBA Korać Cup. He also played in his native Puerto Rico, where he won 8 league championships and their league's 2002 Most Valuable Player award.
Near the end of his career, Ortiz and his 2004 Puerto Rico olympic team dealt the United States their first defeat in an Olympic Games since The Dream Team formed in 1992. In 2019 - long after his playing days concluded - he was inducted to the FIBA Hall of Fame.
“Puerto Rico loses more than an athlete. It loses a legend,” the Puerto Rico Basketball Federation published in a statement today. “Thank you for so much joy, for representing our flag with pride, and for taking the island’s name to the highest level.”
Ortiz suffered from colorectal cancer since late 2023, and died in the island's capital San Juan with his wife and daughter by his side.
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Matt fell in love with radio during his college days at Oregon Tech, and pursued a nine year career in sports broadcasting with Klamath Falls' and Medford's highest-rated sports radio stations. He currently lives in McMinnville wine country and is excited to talk about the Beavers again.