THE FLATS – Jose Alvarado, a Georgia Tech alumnus and four-year letterwinner who helped lead the Yellow Jackets to the 2021 Atlantic Coast Conference championship, added world champion to his list of titles on Saturday when his New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 94-90, to clinch the NBA Championship with a 4-1 Finals series win.
Alvarado is the fourth Yellow Jacket to ever win an NBA Championship, and the first since 2016. Prior to Alvarado earning his ring on Saturday night, Iman Shumpert (Georgia Tech – 2008-11) was the most recent Jacket to lift the NBA’s Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. Shumpert followed Chris Bosh (Georgia Tech – 2002-03), who captured consecutive titles with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013. John Salley (Georgia Tech – 1983-86) was the first Yellow Jacket to win an NBA Championship and went on to capture four world titles in his career, including back-to-back championships with the Detroit Pistons (1989, 1990), a third with the Chicago Bulls (1996) and fourth with the Los Angeles Lakers (2000).
Alvarado, a Brooklyn, N.Y. native who lettered at Georgia Tech from 2017-21, was acquired by his hometown Knicks at the NBA trade deadline in February. He posted a gaudy plus-85 plus/minus in 18 playoff games during New York’s run to its first championship in 53 years. He averaged 4.2 points, 1.2 assists and 1.4 rebounds in 9.5 minutes per game during the postseason as the Knicks’ primary backup to NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson.
As a star at Georgia Tech, Alvarado helped lead the Yellow Jackets to the 2021 ACC Tournament championship as a senior. In four seasons on The Flats, he scored 1,429 points (13.5 points per game) over 106 games. He was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year and second-team all-ACC as a senior in 2021, and was a third-team all-ACC selection as a junior in 2020.
Jose Alvarado 2020-21 Highlights (ACC Digital Network)
Despite his prolific collegiate career on The Flats, Alvarado went undrafted in 2021. He signed with the New Orleans Pelicans as an undrafted free agent in ‘21 and quickly ascended to make his NBA debut that season. He spent his first four-and-a-half NBA seasons with the Pelicans before being traded to New York on Feb. 5. He is averaging 8.0 points, 3.2 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game as a pro.
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL
Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball enters its first season under head coach Scott Cross in 2026-27. Tech has been a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1979, has won four ACC Championships (1985, 1990, 1993, 2021), played in the NCAA Tournament 17 times and appeared in two Final Fours (1990, 2004). Connect with Georgia Tech men’s basketball on social media by liking their Facebook Page, or following on X (@GTMBB) and Instagram (@gtmensbasketball). For more information on Tech basketball, visit Ramblinwreck.com.
