The New Orleans Pelicans’ rotten injury luck is extending to the NBA offseason as well.
Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado was suited up on Thursday for Puerto Rico, whom he represents nationally, during FIBA AmeriCup play. Puerto Rico was playing against Argentina in the quarterfinal of the tournament, which is held once every several years and features national teams from both North America and South America playing against each other.
The quarterfinal game went into overtime, and during the extra period, Alvarado took a nasty spill. Alvarado was wrestling for a loose ball and got upended, resulting in him falling hard on his tailbone area.
Immediately, Alvarado began writhing on the floor in agony, and he eventually had to be taken off the court on a stretcher. Here is the video.
Argentina defeated Puerto Rico 82-77 in the end, winning the most recent FIBA AmeriCup in 2022. They will now face the victor of the Canada-Colombia quarterfinal encounter in the semifinals.
Alvarado, often known as “Grand Theft,” is a Pelicans fan favorite who is well-known for his annoying style of play and other pranks. Alvarado has missed at least 20 games in each of his NBA seasons to date, but he is also somewhat prone to ailments.
The good news for the Pelicans is that Alvarado’s summer session is now over as Puerto Rico was eliminated from the FIBA AmeriCup with Thursday’s loss. But with training camp set to begin in roughly a month, New Orleans will be holding its collective breath that Alvarado’s injury is not nearly as bad as it looked.