Jose Alvarado #5 of the New York Knicks opens up about fight.
Knicks‘ Jose Alvarado is usually not the tallest player in the game, but he always stands his ground no matter who it is – even if it’s a seven-footer.
The guard shared the details of his crazy fight on the court with Phoenix Suns center Mark Williams. It was a very entertaining story that got even better once Shaquille O’Neal was mentioned.
The fight broke out during a Pelicans-Suns game in December 2025, with 2:06 left in the third quarter. Williams set a screen on Alvarado, who was called for a foul. Williams then shoved Alvarado from behind, and things escalated fast. Both players threw punches before teammates and officials stepped in. Both were ejected, and the NBA later handed Alvarado a two-game suspension while Williams received one game.
Alvarado laid out exactly how it went down in his own words:
“Once he pushed me in the back, I was like, oh, I was on tap… They called a foul on me. I’m like, yo, what? Everybody thinking it’s a little tap push. They strong, bro. So I turned around and I said, yo, don’t do that. As I’m walking towards him, people don’t understand — he is seven foot and weighs more than me. He’s overlapping me. So I got to swing him around. Once I saw my headband to the side, my hair go a little place — nah. I saw a punch. I saw opportunity. And I’m like, I got to do this, bro.”
The way @SHAQ told Jose his fine would be chump change after fighting Mark Williams is pure comedy 🤣
“He said, ‘That’s how you do it young fella’ … I was like, ‘Shaq it’s a different payroll over here.’”
Shaq Called, But Alvarado Wasn’t Laughing at the Fine
The suspension cost Alvarado real money, and he did not take it lightly. He had even been fined previously for a similar incident with another big man, so he knew the consequences:
“I got fined for doing the same thing to another big fella. Three games. So I’m like, yo, I’m done — I’m going to get my money worth. Little do you know, my check didn’t move for like three months. I told my family, yo, we got to save, bro. We’re going to be down three months.”
Then came the unexpected call. Shaq rang him up with nothing but hype — until Alvarado brought him back to reality:
“Shout out to Shaq, he’s funny. He called me right away. He said, ‘That’s how you do it, young fella.’ I’m like, how much you think you’re going to run me, Shaq? He’s like, ‘Don’t worry about that, that’s chump change.’ And I was like, Shaq, there’s a different payroll model out here, boy.”
It was classic Alvarado, never backing down, even from Shaq.
Jose Alvarado Is Exactly What the Knicks Needed
Alvarado started the 2025-26 season with the New Orleans Pelicans, where he built his reputation as one of the NBA’s most disruptive defenders and high-energy guards off the bench.
In February, the Knicks acquired him mid-season, adding some much-needed grit to their roster. Since arriving in New York, Alvarado has settled in nicely, averaging 7.4 points, 2.5 assists, and shooting 41.6% from the field across the season.
Jayesh Pagar Jayesh Pagar is a writer at Heavy Sports, covering the New York Knicks and other NBA teams. He brings four years of experience across digital sports media, including NBA, WNBA, college basketball, and college football. He covered as the Knicks beat writer for ONSI and has written for PFSN, Sporting News, and ClutchPoints. More about Jayesh Pagar
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