The NBA’s official trade deadline has come and gone on Thursday, Feb. 5, and many players are finding out which new cities they’re moving to. That includes Jose Alvarado, who graduated from Christ the King High School in the class of 2017 and is coming home to New York to play for the Knicks.
“He wasn’t the most highly-suited kid in the world, but he always had the toughness that he plays with,” Christ the King Principal and Coach Joseph Arbitello told QNS. “His game’s been the same regardless of the level he played at, whether it was college, high school, or the NBA. He’s a great kid.”
During his career as a student of Christ the King, Alvarado made his impact by recording the first quadruple-double in school history, with 18 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals. Nicknamed “Grand Theft Alvarado” for his defensive capabilities, Alvarado committed to Georgia Tech in 2016, where he played as a starter for the next four years. Most notably, Alvarado and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets secured the school’s first Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) title since the 90s, taking down Florida State, which was led by future NBA All-Star Scottie Barnes.
The New Orleans Pelicans drafted Alvarado in 2021 after he passed on an extra year at Georgia Tech due to COVID-19 cancellations. Since then, Alvarado has been a vital role player for the Pelicans as the team’s point guard, and scored his season-high of 38 points against the Denver Nuggets three years ago.
“I’m a fan of whatever team my players play on,” Arbitello said. “I just thought if anybody could do it, it could be him. We’ve had Lamar Odom, Steve Claxton and Erick Barkley. So for him to be up with those names, that’s when I knew he was going to be special.”
According to Arbitello, who coached Alvarado in high school, the NBA player still has a good relationship with his alma mater and makes an effort to stay in contact, even putting in new backboards for the gym’s basketball hoops. In 2023, Alvarado returned to Middle Village and Christ the King to retire his jersey and meet with students.
“I’m not 6’5. I’m not athletic. I don’t have a crazy wingspan. But I got heart — that you can’t measure,” Alvarado said during his visit.
Since the trade was announced today by Shams Charania, a litany of comments have been posted to Alvarado’s social media profiles: New Yorkers welcoming him home and Pelicans fans wishing him well for the remainder of his career, disappointed to see a fan favorite leave.
“Damn dog, this **** sucks. Thank you, bro. New Orleans is always your second home, man, we love you. Go be great,” wrote one fan on Alvarado’s most recent Instagram post.
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While Alvarado has yet to comment on his trade, instead celebrating the sixth birthday of his daughter today, NBC posted a video of his interview after playing his first game at Madison Square Garden, in which he thanks fans and family for their support and expresses his gratitude for the opportunity to play at the legendary venue.
