Jose Alvarado Stretchered Off in FIBA AmeriCup, But His Defiant Message Sparks Shock and Concern

He was down for some time and eventually had to be stretchered off the court back to the locker room. The Pelicans’ guard then posted this on his Instagram story.

Thursday night’s AmeriCup showdown took an unexpected and downright nerve-wracking turn when Jose Alvarado, who’d been lighting it up for Puerto Rico, had to be stretchered off after a harrowing fall. Imagine pushing through a tight overtime battle against Argentina, having dropped 25 points with sharpshooting precision from beyond the arc, only to land flat on your back chasing down a rebound—and suddenly, pain shoots through your lower back. The court turned tense. Alvarado lay motionless, clutching his back, and the reality hit hard for both the player and his Pelicans family watching on. Considering the Pelicans’ frustrating run of injuries recently, including Alvarado’s own hamstring setback last season, you can’t help but hold your breath hoping this isn’t another blow to their depth chart. While Argentina clinched the win heading into semis against Canada, the American squad prepares to face Brazil—big games all around, but the spotlight unmistakably lingers on Alvarado’s health. LEARN MOREArgentina went on to beat Puerto Rico to advance to the AmeriCup semifinals against Canada. In the other semifinal, a USA team led by Javonte Smart, Zachary Auguste and Langston Galloway will face Brazil. Jose Alvarado had to be stretchered off the court from an AmeriCup game Thursday night in a scary moment for himself and the Pelicans.

Hopefully this does turn out to be nothing serious, the Pelicans have had enough bad injury luck in recent years — including Alvarado last year, he missed more than a month with a strained hamstring — and don’t need their reserve guard and fan favorite out with a back issue.Alvarado had led Puerto Rico to overtime against Argentina by scoring 25 points (7-of-12 from 3). In that extra time, Alvarado was battling for a rebound, pulled it free and fell to the floor in the process, landing flat on his back and instantly started grabbing at his lower back in pain.