The first Puerto Rican-born player drafted into the NBA, 'Piculin' was Pac-10 Player of the Year at Oregon State in 1987, finishing ahead of Reggie Miller in the voting. Utah took him 15th overall, and after a season in Zaragoza he wore number 44 for the Jazz in 1988–90. The FIBA Hall of Fame called in 2019, honoring a 26-year career. Considered by many the greatest Puerto Rican player ever, he died in May 2026 at 62.
HOW HE CAME & WENTUtah took him 15th overall in 1987, the first Puerto Rican-born player drafted into the NBA. He spent that season with CAI Zaragoza in Spain instead, joined the Jazz in 1988, never found a role and was waived on February 5, 1990.
No photograph of this signature is online yet.
| SEASON | TEAM | G | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988–89 | UTA | 51 | 6.4 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | .440 | .000 | .596 |
| 1989–90 | UTA | 13 | 4.9 | 3.2 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.1 | .452 | .500 | .600 |
| JAZZ TOTAL | 2 SEASONS | 64 | 6.1 | 2.9 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | .443 | .333 | .596 |
Season by season, regular season, with this franchise only. More info: Basketball-Reference ↗ · Wikipedia ↗