Jose Alvarado

Jose Alvarado (born April 12, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) since 2026. He is nicknamed "Grand Theft Alvarado" for his exceptional ability to generate steals, as well as his defensive prowess. Before joining the NBA, he played college basketball for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets from 2017 to 2021. Since 2022, he has also represented Puerto Rico in international competitions, including the 2024 Summer Olympics. When the Knicks beat the Spurs in the 2026 NBA Finals, he became the third Puerto Rican to win a championship, after Butch Lee with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1980, and J. J. Barea with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. He is currently the only native New Yorker on the Knicks' roster.