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Looking forany autographJosé Ortiz
One collector is trying to find a single signature from every man who ever played for the Jazz — all 370 of them, from the 1974 New Orleans team to today. For many of them, this page is the only one on the internet. Here is José Ortiz: what he did on the floor, a few things most people never knew, and every card that carries his name. If you own something he signed — or you know who might — there is a note at the foot of this page.
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.
- Full name
- José Rafael Ortiz Rijos
- Utah Jazz tenure
- 1988–90
- Position
- Forward/Center
- Born
- 1963, Puerto Rico
- Died
- 2026
- Height
- 6′10″ (208 cm)
- Weight
- 225 lb (102 kg)
- College
- Oregon State
- Drafted
- 1987, 1st round (No. 15), Utah
A card. A photo. A program. A page from an old autograph book. Anything he put his name on.
You do not need to know what it is. Take a photo with your phone and send it to me. I will tell you what you have, for free, whether or not anything comes of it. I pay the postage both ways. I answer every message myself, usually the same day.
With the Jazz
JOSÉ ORTIZ · 1988–90 · PER GAME| 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 ↗
Did you know
JOSÉ ORTIZ · 7 NOTES- Represented Puerto Rico at multiple Olympic Games and is a national basketball figure there.
- Delayed his NBA debut by a full year, accepting an offer from Spain's CAI Zaragoza right after the Jazz drafted him.
- Was part of the Puerto Rican team that stunned the United States at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
- A Puerto Rican broadcaster nicknamed the 6-foot-11 center El Concorde, after the airplane.
- At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics he was the tournament's leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, averaging 25 points and ten rebounds.
- He won eight championships in Puerto Rico's BSN and opened a youth basketball institute in his hometown of Cayey in 2011.
- Real Madrid signed him within weeks of his February 1990 release, and Barcelona, Andorra, Unicaja and three Greek clubs followed.