{"id":727596,"date":"2026-06-10T14:51:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T14:51:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/727596\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T14:51:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T14:51:14","slug":"jose-alvarado-is-the-most-new-york-of-knicks-in-nba-finals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/727596\/","title":{"rendered":"Jose Alvarado is the ‘most New York’ of Knicks in NBA Finals"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Andscape<\/p>\n

From San Antonio to New York City, follow Andscape\u2019s coverage of the 2026 NBA Finals with columnist William C. Rhoden, senior NBA writer Marc J. Spears and more.<\/p>\n

NEW YORK \u2014 About a month after proudly donning a New York Knicks<\/a> jersey for the first time, native New Yorker Jose Alvarado<\/a> spoke about a championship dream that, a few short months later, is close to coming true.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really believe that we can achieve something,\u201d Alvarado told Andscape in March. \u201cWe want to hang the banner. So, we got to just take it day by day. And s\u2011\u2011\u2011, when we win, you know how it\u2019s going to get in New York. It would just be a dream come true.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alvarado and the Knicks are now two wins away from becoming NBA champions, with Game 4 against the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 NBA Finals<\/a> tonight at Madison Square Garden. New York won the first two games of the best-of-seven Finals on the road in San Antonio before losing 115-111 at Madison Square Garden in Monday\u2019s Game 3. The two-time NBA champion Knicks are making their first Finals appearance since 1999 and haven\u2019t won a title since 1973.<\/p>\n

For Alvarado, potentially being a part of a long-awaited Knicks championship would have special meaning: The 28-year-old is a lifelong Knicks fan and the only player on the team from New York City.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still hang out where I\u2019m from. I\u2019m still around the people I was with when I was growing up. I\u2019m sure I am the most New York person on this team,\u201d Alvarado told Andscape.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"'It's<\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t‘It’s like a family reunion’: Former Knicks players come together courtside \u2013 Andscape\t\t\t\tRead now
\n\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

Alvarado was born April 12, 1998, in Brooklyn to Puerto Rican parents Odilia Martinez and Jose Alvarado Sr. The Alvarados once resided in the Roberto Clemente Plaza Apartments, a five\u2010building, publicly financed low\u2010 and middle\u2010income housing complex in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. Alvarado told Andscape in 2023 that he was from a \u201clow- to middle-class family\u201d with parents doing the best they could during his time in Williamsburg.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe beautiful and the challenging of the neighborhood go together. I saw people just trying to make it out of the struggle,\u201d Alvarado told Andscape in 2023.<\/p>\n

Alvarado comes from a family of die-hard Knicks fans. His favorite Knicks era was the 2010s, watching Carmelo Anthony as well as J. R. Smith and Jeremy Lin, but going to see the Knicks at the Garden wasn\u2019t a part of Alvarado\u2019s youth growing up in Brooklyn and Queens.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went to one Knicks game [as a child],\u201d Alvarado said. \u201cI saw \u2018Melo\u2019 play against the Brooklyn Nets, who were the New Jersey Nets at the time. It was a dream come true.\u201d<\/p>\n

A New York basketball star<\/p>\n

\"AAlvarado became a basketball star at Queens\u2019 Christ the King Regional High School, where coach Joe Arbitello spotted his talent before he had stepped on campus.<\/p>\n

Joe Arbitello<\/p>\n

Alvarado\u2019s first basketball attention came in the eighth grade, when he flourished at a camp at Christ the King Regional High School in Middle Village, Queens. Christ the King varsity boys\u2019 basketball coach Joe Arbitello loved what he saw in Alvarado, so much so that he convinced his family \u2014 which had moved to the Pomonok Houses in Queens \u2014 to allow him to join his program.<\/p>\n

\u201cNick Sanchez, his uncle who\u2019s my assistant coach and played at Christ King, played at Florida, told me I needed to come watch this kid at my camp,\u201d Arbitello told Andscape in a phone interview. \u201cWe had about 250 campers. Jose had this big, bushy hair, and he just looked older than everybody. So, I was like, \u2018Nick, that guy is just bigger and stronger than everybody else. He can\u2019t be in the eighth grade.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then by Wednesday and Thursday, I had his parents in my office trying to convince them to put him at Christ King High School, because this tenacity and his ability to impact winning \u2014 even back then, it was just so noticeable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arbitello certainly had a great eye for talent, as Alvarado became a star at Christ the King. The Times Ledger Player of the Year as a senior was a three-star recruit whom ESPN ranked as the 32nd best point guard in the country in the 2017 class. <\/p>\n

His height (6-foot) was seen as a limit on his potential, but Alvarado, the son of a boxer, was fast, had lightning quick hands and was an amazing defender. He decided to attend Georgia Tech, following in the footsteps of fellow New Yorkers and former NBA point guards Kenny Anderson and Stephon Marbury.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wrote down the pros and the cons for each school,\u201d Arbitello said. \u201cAnd when that was all said and done, it was just very evident that he should take Georgia Tech. And then I told him, \u2018You have to call Rutgers and [head coach Steve] Pikiell and tell them.\u2019 Listen, that was the hardest part of the recruiting situation for him was that he actually had to call somebody and disappoint them. Jose is not the kind of kid that wants to disappoint.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"JoseDespite his 6-foot stature, Alvarado was the 2017 Times Ledger Player of the Year and a three-star recruit whom ESPN ranked as the 32nd best point guard in the country.<\/p>\n

Joe Arbitello<\/p>\n

Alvarado had a strong career with the Yellow Jackets, serving as the team\u2019s starting point guard all four years and averaging 15.5 points and 3.5 assists per game as a senior during the 2020-21 season. The 2021 Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Alvarado led Georgia Tech to the ACC tournament championship that season, and after no team selected him in the 2021 NBA draft a few months later, the New Orleans Pelicans signed him to a two-way contract.<\/p>\n

Alvarado\u2019s defensive intensity, hustle and passing earned him a multiyear contract after his rookie season. He became a crowd favorite as a bench piece in New Orleans, averaging 8.1 points and 3.1 assists in 268 games across 4\u00bd seasons.<\/p>\n

While New York City will always be home, New Orleans became a second home near and dear to his heart. He also is still connected to his old Pelicans teammates.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew Orleans made me, made my career, made me to where I could get to here,\u201d Alvarado told Andscape. \u201cI always will love New Orleans. I can\u2019t wait to go back and visit. I\u2019m going to go down to Mardi Gras when I can. That\u2019s just my second base home, and it will always be there.\u201d<\/p>\n

An emotional homecoming<\/p>\n

As much as Alvarado loved New Orleans, his ears piqued when he began hearing trade rumors that he could be traded home to the Knicks. His dream ultimately came true Feb. 5, when he was traded to New York in exchange for Dalen Terry, two future second-round picks, and cash considerations.<\/p>\n

While the move wasn\u2019t a total surprise to Alvarado, the reality of it was \u201chard to believe\u201d and made him emotional.<\/p>\n

\u201cI cried. I called my parents. They started crying. My wife, everybody was just so excited knowing that they are a good team,\u201d Alvarado, who had played in just two playoff series with New Orleans, told the media.<\/p>\n

It was one thing to make an NBA dream come true. It was another for Alvarado to have \u201cNEW YORK\u201d on the front of his jersey and \u201cALVARADO\u201d on the back of it. While a nervous Alvarado struggled in his Knicks debut on Feb. 10 at Madison Square Garden, putting on that Knicks jersey for the first time was memorable. He wore the jersey with the same pride he did when he represented his family\u2019s native Puerto Rico in the 2024 Paris Olympics.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was surreal, bro,\u201d Alvarado told Andscape. \u201cI never really get nervous because I get excited before games. This game, it was like my heart was pumping. And just coming out there, and then seeing my mom and dad, and my family, my wife, my kids in the Garden, and me with a Knicks jersey, it was crazy, to be honest.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something like playing for my country. I got to represent. It\u2019s more than me; it\u2019s just more than who I am. It\u2019s something I grew up with.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"NewAlvarado (center) on his reaction to being traded to the New York Knicks: \u201cI cried. I called my parents. They started crying. My wife, everybody was just so excited knowing that they are a good team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arbitello said the humble Alvarado, who averaged 16.9 minutes per game with the Knicks in the regular season and has played at least 10 minutes in each of the first three Finals games, doesn\u2019t understand how big of a star he is in New York.<\/p>\n

Arbitello joked that Alvarado answers his text messages faster than his own children do. Alvarado called him recently to say he planned to do an impromptu stop by Christ the King to see him. His old coach ruled against it, however, because the school wasn\u2019t prepared for a potential wild student reaction to his arrival.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018Jose, you can\u2019t just stop by. You can\u2019t just pop up. You\u2019re like a celebrity,’\u201d Arbitello, who is now the principal at Christ the King, told Andscape. \u201c\u2018The school will go crazy. You got to give me at least 16 hours\u2019 notice so I can make sure that we\u2019re all set and we don\u2019t have parents running up to the school to meet you.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s one of the biggest names in New York right now. I don\u2019t think he understands that 100% yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"If<\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tIf New Orleans Pelicans win NBA in-season tournament, guard Jose Alvarado has plans for prize money \u2013 Andscape\t\t\t\tRead now
\n\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

Several years removed from Christ the King, Alvarado says there is a lot of wisdom he learned from Arbitello that he lives by today.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best thing he taught me about is accountability,\u201d Alvarado told Andscape. \u201c\u2019If you\u2019re not going to be yourself, then no one is going to feel for you and understand you.\u2019 So, one thing he did teach me is accountability and to be a great leader.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe just says to be myself. We text all the time, and he\u2019s obviously a great guy. He\u2019s family to me, and he took good care of me. And that\u2019s somebody I just always have right on my corner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just four months after becoming a Knick, Alvarado\u2019s championship dreams have the ability to come true, and he is appreciating every moment of it. <\/p>\n

He was given a special proclamation during a homecoming event at the Williamsburg Community Center on April 11 hosted by Brooklyn Borough president Antonio Reynoso and the Grand Street Settlement. He went from idolizing Carmelo Anthony to telling the Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer on his \u201c7 PM in Brooklyn\u201d podcast that if the Knicks win the Finals, he is going to be \u201cdrunk for eight days\u201d and throw a world tour celebration.<\/p>\n

While the Knicks live by the motto, \u201cOnce a Knick, always a Knick,\u201d winning a title will give Alvarado legendary status.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I win a ring in New York,\u201d Alvarado told Andscape in March, \u201cit\u2019s going to be crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marc J. Spears is the senior NBA writer for Andscape. He used to be able to dunk on you, but he hasn\u2019t been able to in years and his knees still hurt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From San Antonio to New York City, follow Andscape\u2019s coverage of the 2026 NBA Finals with columnist William…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":727597,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[64,63,590,85],"class_list":["post-727596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/727596","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=727596"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/727596\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/727597"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=727596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=727596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=727596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}