Puerto Rico men's national basketball team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Puerto Rico women's national basketball team.

The Puerto Rico national basketball team (Spanish: Selección de Baloncesto de Puerto Rico) represents Puerto Rico in men's international basketball competitions, it is governed by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation (Spanish: Federación de Baloncesto de Puerto Rico), The team represents both FIBA and FIBA Americas.

Puerto Rico

FIBA ranking	20 1 (27 February 2023)^[1]
Joined FIBA	1957
FIBA zone	FIBA Americas
National federation	Puerto Rican Basketball Federation
Coach	Nelson Colón
Nickname(s)	12 Magníficos Los Gallos
Olympic Games
Appearances	9
FIBA World Cup
Appearances	15
FIBA AmeriCup
Appearances	19
Medals	(1980, 1989, 1995) (1988, 1993, 1997, 2009, 2013) (2003, 2007)
Pan American Games
Appearances	16
Medals	(1991, 2011) (1959, 1971, 1975, 1979, 2007, 2019) (1963, 1999, 2003)
Centrobasket
Appearances	24
Medals	(1973, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 2001, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2016) (1965, 1971, 1975, 1977, 1981, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2012, 2014) (1969, 1995, 2006)
Home Away
First international
Puerto Rico 26–39 Mexico  (San Salvador, El Salvador; 1935)
Biggest win
Puerto Rico 171–72 Belize  (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; 7 March 1974)
Medal record Event 1st 2nd 3rd FIBA Basketball World Cup 0 0 0 FIBA AmeriCup 3 5 2 Centrobasket 11 10 3 Pan American Games 2 6 4 Central American and Caribbean Games 6 6 4 FIBA CBC Championship 1 0 0 Goodwill Games 1 0 0 Total 24 27 13

Since joining FIBA in 1957, the Puerto Rican national team has been mostly composed by Puerto Rican-born players and players of Puerto Rican descent born in the United States such as Raymond Gause, Rick Apodaca, Georgie Torres, Héctor Blondet, Renaldo Balkman, Ramón Clemente, Maurice Harkless, Tyler Davis and many others.

History

The Puerto Rican Basketball Federation joined FIBA in 1957. Puerto Rico has participated in nine Olympics and 12 World Championships, although they have never won a medal at either competition.

Early years

Puerto Rico's first appearance at a World Championship was in 1959 in Chile, where, led by Juan Vicéns, who averaged 22 points per game, the team finished 5th with a record of 3–6. In 1963, at Puerto Rico's second World Championship appearance which took place in Brazil, the team, led by Rafael Valle and Juan Vicéns, opened the tournament winning two straight games. Yet, after losing other six games back to back, ended its participation with a win over Italy, obtaining the 6th place.

Coming back from its 13th place debut at the 1960 Olympics in Rome, in 1964 in Tokyo, the team was able to reach 4th place, in good part because of the contributions of point guard Juan Vicéns. This was, and still is as of 2016, the highest place it has ever reached since the team's birth at any Olympic Games.^[2] Three years later in Uruguay, at the 1967 World Championship, the team, led this time by Raymond Dalmau, was only able to finish 12th, ending the decade with a 9th place at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.

Before the 1970s, regardless of the non-remarkable performance at world international tournaments, Puerto Rico started to emerge as a power player at regional tournaments, medaling in all the competitions it participated (the Pan American Games, the CentroBasket tournament and the Central American and Caribbean Games). The medal count included two golds at the 1962 and the 1966 Central American and Caribbean Games, failing to medal only at the 1967 Pan American Games, where it finished 5th.

1970s

The 1970s brought some memorable moments for the team, particularly a dramatic one-point loss to the United States at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal,^[2] where a win by Puerto Rico would have been the first undisputed basketball loss for the United States team at an Olympic competition. Also, the 1974 World Championship and the 1979 Pan American Games were held in San Juan, promoting local enthusiasm for international basketball and Puerto Rico's presence in it. The 7th and 10th places at the 1974 and 1978 World Championships, where the team, led by Hector Blondet and Rubén Rodríguez respectively, saw 2–5 and 4–3 finishes, became turning points for the Puerto Rican team. The 4–3 showing in 1978 in the Philippines was the first time ever the team finished with a positive record at a World Championship. These achievements were accompanied by golds at the 1973 Centrobasket and the 1978 Central American and Caribbean Games. In all, Puerto Rico continued its regional success and was able to medal in all regional competitions.

1980s

The 1980s were very good for the team,^[2] attaining gold at two of the first four FIBA Americas Championships in 1980 and 1989, and at the 1985, 1987 and 1989 CentroBasket tournaments. The silver medal at the 1988 Americas Championship held in Montevideo, Uruguay, secured the team's first Olympic participation since 1976.^[3] Having qualified and earned the right to participate, the Puerto Rican team chose not to do so at the 1980 Olympic Games, held in Moscow, due to the American boycott of that competition (being an autonomous nation sportswise, the team could have participated, but decided to respect the boycott instead). It wouldn't participate either at the 1984 Olympic Games, held in Los Angeles, because the team failed to qualify for it. Twelve years after its last Olympic showing, Puerto Rico was able to advance to the second round and finished 7th at the 1988 Olympic Games, held in Seoul. Two years earlier, at the 1986 World Championshipat in Spain, Puerto Rico's performance granted it the 10th place, having failed to qualify for the 1982 Championship in Colombia.

1990s

During the 1990s, the team's successes continued as usual. Led by José Ortiz, Ramón Rivas, Jerome Mincy, Fico López, and Edgar León.^[2] the decade began with a 4th-place finish at the 1990 World Championship in Argentina. This is Puerto Rico's best showing at a World Championship so far, defeating teams such as Yugoslavia, Argentina and the United States, but losing to the USSR and then, losing by two points the rematch in overtime to the US. In 1991, led by Raymond Gause, besides earning gold at the CentroBasket tournament, the team also won, for the first time in basketball, the gold medal at the Pan American Games,^[4] which were held in Cuba. The team also qualified for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, where it reached the second round, losing to the US in its first game of the elimination round, finishing at the end in 8th place. In 1993, Puerto Rico signed its Caribbean supremacy at this sport by winning gold at both the CentroBasket and the Central American and Caribbean Games. This victory at CentroBasket was the last of a 5 gold medal streak at the tournament. In 1994, the team finished in a 6th place at the World Championship in Canada, but won the gold at the 1994 Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg, Russia, defeating teams such as Croatia, Russia, Brazil and Italy. It was then when Puerto Rico began to be classified as one of the top 10 international teams. Having won gold in 1995 at the FIBA Americas Pre-Olympic Championship, in 1996 at the Olympic Games, the team placed 10th in Atlanta, while in 1998, it placed 11th at the World Championship in Greece.

In 1994, Puerto Rico's national basketball team won the gold medal at the 1994 Goodwill Games in Russia, beating Italy, 94–80, in the gold medal game.^[5]

2000–2004

This Olympic cycle did not go well for the team at the International level, although it did have great moments and it performed well at the local level. Having failed to qualify for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia with its 4th place at the 1999 Tournament of the Americas hosted in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 2001 the team was able to recover its CentroBasket title, with a triumph in Mexico. Later that year, the team repeated its 4th place at the 2001 FIBA Americas tournament in Argentina.

In 2002, the team had a strong showing at the World Championship held in Indianapolis, USA. The team beat the top 3 European teams at the time; eventual champion Yugoslavia, Turkey and Spain. Puerto Rico, with a 5–1 record entering the quarterfinals, lost its chance to get into the medals round only by a dramatic 2-points loss to New Zealand, eventually placing 7th. It is worth mentioning that Carlos Arroyo debuted at this tournament.

In 2003, the team also won gold at the CentroBasket tournament, held in Mexico, but was only able to achieve the bronze medal at the Tournament of the Americas and the Pan American Games. Reaching its 16th final at the CentroBasket tournament, Puerto Rico conquered the silver medal at the 2004 CentroBasket tournament, losing to the host Dominican Republic, 75–74, in the championship game.

On 15 August 2004, at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, the Puerto Rico National Basketball Team became the second team in history to defeat the United States Olympic basketball team, recording only the third loss in an Olympic competition for the U.S. team, and the first since NBA players were allowed to compete. The 92–73 outcome of that game is, as of 2016, the most lopsided victory against the U.S. (collegiate or NBA players) in the history of Olympic basketball. The other team to defeat the U.S. had been the Soviet Union at the 1972 gold medal game (the outcome of which is still disputed) and the 1988 semifinals.

2005–2008

In 2005, Puerto Rico was invited to play at the 2005 Stanković Continental Champions' Cup in Beijing, where it lost all five games and ended up finishing in 6th place. Still, having failed to qualify directly to the 2006 World Championship by achieving a 7th place at the 2005 FIBA Americas Championship in Santo Domingo, due to its great tradition, in November 2005, Puerto Rico received an invitation to participate in the World tournament as a wildcard, along with Italy, Serbia and Montenegro and Turkey. En route to the World Championship, Puerto Rico won bronze at the 2006 Centrobasket, losing the automatic classification to the 2008 tournament, but recovering in time to earn gold at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games. Later, at the group play stage of the 2006 World Championship, which was contested in Japan, Puerto Rico started with victories over Senegal and China, but lost ties against the United States, Italy and Slovenia. The application of a second tiebreaker by points differential to Slovenia, China and Puerto Rico, each with a winning percentage of .400, placed Puerto Rico fifth in Group D, preventing the team from advancing to the knockout round for the first time since 1986; Puerto Rico ultimately placed 17th out of twenty-four, that being its shyest performance in a long time. The following year began with Puerto Rico earning its fifth silver medal at the 2007 Pan American Games, followed by the team's first participation in a CaribeBasket^[6] tournament, debuting against Trinidad & Tobago. Although the team didn't have the participation of Daniel Santiago or Rick Apodaca, Puerto Rico won the tournament undefeated, which meant its classification to the 2008 Centrobasket tournament. Later that year, Puerto Rico started to host an exhibition tournament called the Marchand Continental Championship Cup in order to prepare for the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship. After playing against Brazil, Canada and Argentina, Puerto Rico lost all three games, ending up in fourth place. The year ended with a bronze at the FIBA Americas Championship. On 31 January 2008, a draw took place for the FIBA Preolympic tournament, which placed Puerto Rico in the same group as Croatia and Cameroon, where its winner would have to face the second place of Group C.^[7] Following this event, the president of the National Superior Basketball League confirmed that the team would play exhibition games at the 2008 Bamberg Super Cup in Germany against Greece, Slovenia and the host, beginning on 4 July 2008.^[7] Then, a second set of exhibition games would follow, scheduled to start on 8 July 2008, in Slovenia: the 2008 Alpos International Cup, where the team would face New Zealand, Iran and the hosts. After these preparatory tournaments, the team would train until the Preolympic tournament's beginning.^[7] The team began practicing on 19 May 2008, and included several players that were under consideration for inclusion by Cintrón.^[8] On 4 June 2008, Daniel Santiago confirmed that he would abandon his international retirement and play with Puerto Rico in the Preolympic tournament.^[9] Santiago announced that he would join the team in July, following an exhibition game.^[9] Javier Mojica, Alejandro Carmona and Joel Jones were included in as potential members in the preliminary team.^[10] On 1 July 2008, hours before the team was scheduled to travel to Europe, Ángelo Reyes was excluded after not establishing communication with the directives.^[11] Reyes was replaced with Alex Falcón.^[11] Subsequently, Reyes asked for a dispensation to attend personal matters, noting that he intended to join the team in a week; however, he was not included due to time constraints.^[12][13] In the first game at the Bamberg Super Cup, Puerto Rico defeated Germany with a team composed mostly of reserve players, as Carlos Arroyo, Santiago, Larry Ayuso and Carmelo Lee were attending other compromises.^[14] Puerto Rico continued playing with these players, finishing 2nd, after losing the final game to Greece, who entered the cup with their entire lineup.^[15][16] Santiago and Ayuso joined the practices on 5 July 2008, when Puerto Rico traveled to Slovenia, where the Alpos International Cup was being held. The first match in the tournament was a victory against New Zealand,^[17] followed by another victory in the semifinals over Iran.^[18] At the end, Puerto Rico finished second, losing to Slovenia in the finals.^[19][20] The Preolympic tournament began on 14 July 2008, but Puerto Rico's debut came the following day, when the team defeated Cameroon and advanced to the second round, due to a loss that the African team had suffered during the first day of competition. On its second game, the team lost to Croatia, but in the quarterfinals, defeated Slovenia.^[21] The team didn't qualify to the Olympics, after losing to Greece in the semifinals and to Germany in the tournament's bronze medal game.^[22]

2008–2012

This Olympic cycle began with the 2008 Centrobasket competition. After having failed to classify directly to it, Puerto Rico's spot was secured after its first and only participation in the 2007 CaribeBasket tournament, where Puerto Rico won all round one games by over 25 points and went on to win gold. The 2008 Centrobasket was scheduled to take place before the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, but due to time constraints it was postponed. A group of prospects was included in the roster to replace Peter John Ramos and Ricky Sanchez, who were injured. Among those included was Ángel Daniel Vassallo, who played as a small forward in Virginia Tech. In the first game of the tournament, Puerto Rico defeated Costa Rica.^[23] In the other two games of the first round, the team defeated Cuba and Panama.^[24][25] During the course of the event, Carlos Arroyo and Larry Ayuso were forced to rest a game due to injuries.^[26] In the semifinals, the team scored a win over the Dominican Republic.^[27] Puerto Rico won the gold medal by defeating the United States Virgin Islands in the finals. The team has secured a spot for the 2010 FIBA World Championship by finishing in 1 of the top 4 spots in the 2009 FIBA Americas Championship. At the end, Puerto Rico finished the tournament with the silver medal, having lost the game against Argentina in the group stage, and losing the final against Brazil. Pending the performance at the 2010 FIBA World Championship, this cycle has had Puerto Rico with a record of 19–2 (Caribebasket 6–0, Centrobasket 5–0, FIBA Americas 8–2), not counting the 2nd-place finish at the 2009 Marchand Continental Championship Cup, where Puerto Rico won the exhibition games against Argentina and Canada, but lost the final to Brazil.

At the 2010 CentroBasket, Puerto Rico won Group B with Cuba finishing second.^[28] The team defeated Panama in semifinals and the Dominican Republic in the final to win the gold medal. Arroyo and Barea were included in the tournament's All-Star Team.^[29]

In 2010, the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation relieved Manolo Cintron of his coaching duties, and on 8 June 2011, the Federation officially announced the new head coach of the national team, Flor Melendez, which will be Melendez's second stint with the team as head coach.

On 27 August 2011, a chartered airplane carrying the team as well as the Canadian, Dominican and Brazilian national basketball teams from Foz de Iguacu, Brazil, to Mar del Plata, Argentina, made an emergency landing at Ezeiza International Airport, Buenos Aires, Argentina, after experiencing severe weather conditions mid-flight. The plane left for Mar del Plata an hour and a half after it landed.^[30]

2019

On 26 February 2019, Puerto Rico defeated the Uruguayan national basketball team 65–61, securing their entrance into the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup in China^[31] They were drawn to Group C, facing 2nd-ranked Spain, alongside Iran and Tunisia, with Puerto Rico facing Iran and Tunisia for the very first time.

2023 FIBA World Cup

On 27 July 2023, the New Orleans Pelicans announced that for precautionary reasons that Puerto Rican star PG Jose Alvarado would miss the 2023 FIBA world cup to allow him to heal up for the upcoming NBA season.^[32][33]

On 10 August 2023, FIBA had announced the 2025 AmeriCup Qualifiers groups, placing PR in Group D with the United States, Cuba, and Bahamas. ^[34]

Uniform

During most of the 1980s and up until the late 1990s, the team wore a solid color uniform, with accent lines and the word "Puerto Rico" written in stylized cursive. Nowadays, the national team's uniform resembles a Puerto Rican flag, but also includes the traditional Puerto Rico letters in cursive. The uniforms are red or blue for "home" status, and white for "away."

Competitive record

Summer Olympics

Year	Position	Pld	W	L
1960	13th	3	0	3
1964	4th	9	5	4
1968	9th	7	3	4
1972	6th	7	5	2
1976	9th	7	3	4
1980	Boycotted	–	–	–
1984	Did not qualify	–	–	–
1988	7th	8	4	4
1992	8th	8	3	5
1996	10th	7	2	5
2000	Did not qualify	–	–	–
2004	6th	7	3	4
2008	Did not qualify	–	–	–
2012		–	–	–
2016		–	–	–
2020		–	–	–
2024	to be determined	–	–	–
2028		–	–	–
2032		–	–	–
Total		63	28	35

FIBA World Cup

Year	Position	Pld	W	L
1959	5th	9	3	6
1963	6th	9	3	6
1967	12th	8	2	6
1970	Did not qualify	–	–	–
1974	7th	7	2	5
1978	10th	7	4	3
1982	Did not qualify	–	–	–
1986	13th	5	2	3
1990	4th	8	6	2
1994	6th	8	3	5
1998	11th	8	3	5
2002	7th	9	6	3
2006	17th	5	2	3
2010	18th	5	1	4
2014	19th	5	1	4
2019	15th	5	2	3
/ /  2023	in progress	–	–	–
2027	To be determined	–	–	–
Total		98	40	58

FIBA AmeriCup

FIBA Americas						Qualification
Year	Pos.	Pld	W	L		Pld	W	L
1980		6	5	1		Directly qualified
1984	6th	8	3	5
1988		8	6	2
1989		8	7	1
1992	4th	7	4	3
1993		7	5	2
1995		10	9	1
1997		9	5	4
1999	4th	10	6	4
2001	4th	9	5	4
2003		10	6	4
2005	7th	8	4	4
2007		10	5	5
2009		10	8	2
2011	4th	10	6	4
2013		10	7	3
2015	5th	8	4	4
/ /  2017	5th	3	2	1
2022	5th	4	2	2
Total		155	99	56

			Total
3	5	2	10

Pan American Games

Year	Position	Tournament	Host
1951	–	1951 Pan American Games	Buenos Aires, Argentina
1955	–	1955 Pan American Games	Mexico City, Mexico
1959		1959 Pan American Games	Chicago, United States
1963		1963 Pan American Games	São Paulo, Brazil
1967	5	1967 Pan American Games	Winnipeg, Canada
1971		1971 Pan American Games	Cali, Colombia
1975		1975 Pan American Games	Mexico City, Mexico
1979		1979 Pan American Games	San Juan, Puerto Rico
1983	6	1983 Pan American Games	Caracas, Venezuela
1987		1987 Pan American Games	Indianapolis, United States
1991		1991 Pan American Games	Havana, Cuba
1995	6	1995 Pan American Games	Mar del Plata, Argentina
1999		1999 Pan American Games	Winnipeg, Canada
2003		2003 Pan American Games	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
2007		2007 Pan American Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2011		2011 Pan American Games	Guadalajara, Mexico
2015	6	2015 Pan American Games	Toronto, Canada

Since joining FIBA in 1957, Puerto Rico has participated in the basketball competition for all editions of the Pan American Games since 1959, obtaining medals in all but the 1967, 1983, 1995 and 2015 games. It has a total of 11 medals.

			Total
2	5	4	11

Centrobasket

Year	Position	Tournament	Host
1965		1965 Centrobasket Championship	Mexico City, Mexico
1967	–	1967 Centrobasket Championship	San Salvador, El Salvador
1969		1969 Centrobasket Championship	Havana, Cuba
1971		1971 Centrobasket Championship	Caracas, Venezuela
1973		1973 Centrobasket Championship	San Juan, Puerto Rico
1975		1975 Centrobasket Championship	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
1977		1977 Centrobasket Championship	Panama City, Panama
1981		1981 Centrobasket Championship	San Juan Puerto Rico
1985		1985 Centrobasket Championship	Mexico City, Mexico
1987		1987 Centrobasket Championship	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
1989		1989 Centrobasket Championship	Havana, Cuba
1991		1991 CentroBasket Championship	Monterrey, Mexico
1993		1993 Centrobasket Championship	Ponce, Puerto Rico
1995		1995 Centrobasket Championship	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
1997		1997 Centrobasket Championship	Tegucigalpa, Honduras
1999		1999 Centrobasket Championship	Havana, Cuba
2001		2001 Centrobasket Championship	Toluca, Mexico
2003		2003 Centrobasket Championship	Culiacán, Mexico
2004		2004 Centrobasket Championship	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
2006		2006 Centrobasket Championship	Panama City, Panama
2008		2008 Centrobasket Championship	Cancún, Mexico
2010		2010 Centrobasket Championship	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
2012		2012 Centrobasket Championship	San Juan, Puerto Rico
2014		2014 Centrobasket Championship	Nayarit, Mexico
2016		2016 Centrobasket Championship	Panama City, Panama

Puerto Rico has a great record at the Centrobasket Championships, having participated in all of them but 1967, and obtaining a medal in all.

			Total
11	10	3	24

Central American and Caribbean Games

Year	Position	Tournament	Host
1926	–	1926 Central American and Caribbean Games	Mexico City, Mexico
1930	–	1930 Central American and Caribbean Games	Havana, Cuba
1935		1935 Central American and Caribbean Games	San Salvador, El Salvador
1938	4	1938 Central American and Caribbean Games	Panama City, Panama
1946	5	1946 Central American and Caribbean Games	Barranquilla, Colombia
1950	5	1950 Central American and Caribbean Games	Guatemala City, Guatemala
1954		1954 Central American and Caribbean Games	Mexico City, Mexico
1959		1959 Central American and Caribbean Games	Caracas, Venezuela
1962		1962 Central American and Caribbean Games	Kingston, Jamaica
1966		1966 Central American and Caribbean Games	San Juan, Puerto Rico
1970		1970 Central American and Caribbean Games	Panama City, Panama
1974		1974 Central American and Caribbean Games	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
1978		1978 Central American and Caribbean Games	Medellin, Colombia
1982		1982 Central American and Caribbean Games	Havana, Cuba
1986		1986 Central American and Caribbean Games	Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic
1990		1990 Central American and Caribbean Games	Mexico City, Mexico
1993		1993 Central American and Caribbean Games	Ponce, Puerto Rico
1998	6	1998 Central American and Caribbean Games	Maracaibo, Venezuela
2002		2002 Central American and Caribbean Games	San Salvador, El Salvador
2006		2006 Central American and Caribbean Games	Cartagena, Colombia
2010		2010 Central American and Caribbean Games	Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
2014		2014 Central American and Caribbean Games	Veracruz, Mexico
2018		2018 Central American and Caribbean Games	Barranquilla, Colombia

Since its basketball debut in the 1935 Games, Puerto Rico has only failed to medal in the 1938, 1946, 1950, and 1998 Games. The team has a total of 16 medals.^[35]

			Total
6	6	4	16

CaribeBasket Championships

Year	Position	Tournament	Host
2007		2007 CaribeBasket Championship	Caguas, Puerto Rico

Since the founding of the CaribeBasket tournament in 1981 as a CentroBasket qualification stage for Caribbean countries, Puerto Rico has only participated in the 2007 tournament, after failing to classify directly to CentroBasket 2008. In this tournament, it won all round one games by over 25 points and went on to win gold.

Goodwill Games

Year	Position	Tournament	Host
1986	13	1986 Goodwill Games^[36]	Moscow, Soviet Union
1990	6	1990 Goodwill Games^[37]	Seattle, Washington, United States
1994		1994 Goodwill Games^[38]	St. Petersburg, Russia
1998	4	1998 Goodwill Games^[39]	New York City, New York, United States
2001	–	2001 Goodwill Games^[40]	Brisbane, Australia

Because the 1986 FIBA World Championship was scheduled to be held at the same time as the 1986 Goodwill Games, the inaugural men's Goodwill Games basketball title was based on results from the World's.^[41] For the 2001 games, although scheduled to compete with seven other teams, Puerto Rico was not able to make it to the tournament, being replaced by Mexico, which finished 7th.^[40][42]

FIBA World Olympic qualifying tournament

Year	Position	Tournament	Host	Comment
1960	N/A	1960 Pre-Olympic Basketball Tournament	Bologna, Italy	Qualified – 1959 Pan Am Games – 2nd place
1964	N/A	1964 Pre-Olympic Basketball Tournament	Yokohama, Japan	Qualified – 1963 Pan Am Games – 3rd place
1968	N/A	1968 Pre-Olympic Basketball Tournament	Monterrey, Mexico	Qualified – 1964 Olympic Games – 4th place
1972	N/A	1972 Pre-Olympic Basketball Tournament	Augsburg, Germany	Qualified – 1971 Pan Am Games – 2nd place
1976	N/A	1976 Pre-Olympic Basketball Tournament	Hamilton, Canada	Qualified – 1975 Pan Am Games – 2nd place
1980–2004	Did not take place.
2008	4	2008 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament	Athens, Greece	Did not qualify – reached Semi-final.
2012	5	2012 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament	Caracas, Venezuela	Did not qualify – reached Quarter-final.
2016	2	2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament	Belgrade, Serbia	Did not qualify – reached Final.

Marchand Continental Championship Cup

Year	Position	Tournament	Host
2007	4	2007 Marchand Continental Championship Cup	San Juan, Puerto Rico
2009	2	2009 Marchand Continental Championship Cup	San Juan, Puerto Rico
2011	2	2011 Marchand Continental Championship Cup	Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil
2013	1	2013 Marchand Continental Championship Cup	San Juan, Puerto Rico
2015	2	2015 Marchand Continental Championship Cup	San Juan, Puerto Rico

Other international events

Year	Position	Tournament	Host
2005	6	2005 Stanković Continental Champions' Cup	Beijing, China
2008	2	2008 Bamberg Super Cup	Bamberg, Germany
2008	2	2008 Alpos International Cup	Maribor, Slovenia
2013	4	2013 Stankovic Continental Champions Cup – Tournament 1	Lanzhou, China
2013	4	2013 Stankovic Continental Champions Cup – Tournament 2	Guangzhou, China

Record against other teams at the World Cup

Country	W–L
Argentina	1–1
Australia	1–2
Angola	2–0
Brazil	1–7
Bulgaria	0–2
Canada	4–0
Chile	0–1
China	3–1
Côte d'Ivoire	1–1
Croatia	0–1
Cuba	1–0
Czechoslovakia	0–1
Dominican Republic	1–0
Egypt	1–0
France	0–1
Germany	1–1
Greece	1–3
Italy	1–5
Iran	1–0
Japan	2–1
Korea	1–0
Lebanon	1–0
Mexico	0–1
New Zealand	0–1
Paraguay	2–0
Peru	1–1
Philippines	2–0
Poland	0–1
Russia	0–3
Senegal	1–1
Soviet Union	0–4
Spain	1–2
Tunisia	1–0
Turkey	1–1
Uruguay	1–0
United States	1–8
Venezuela	1–0
Yugoslavia	2–4
Total record	37–56
Overall historic score	453–487

Last updated: 4 September 2019

Results and fixtures

2021

Mexico   v   Puerto Rico

28 November 2021	Mexico	90–86	Puerto Rico	Chihuahua City, Mexico
	Scoring by quarter: 27–23, 19–25, 22–18, 22–20
	Pts: Girón 21 Rebs: Jaimes 12 Asts: Stoll 14	Boxscore	Pts: De Jesús 24 Rebs: Collier 7 Asts: De Jesús 6	Arena: Gimnasio Manuel Bernardo Aguirre Attendance: Juan Fernández (ARG), Carlos Vélez (COL), Fabiano Huber (BRA)

Puerto Rico   v   Cuba

29 November 2021	Puerto Rico	69–60	Cuba	Chihuahua City, Mexico
	Scoring by quarter: 16–27, 21–16, 16–7, 16–10
	Pts: Romero 18 Rebs: Murphy 11 Asts: Howard 7	Boxscore	Pts: Mensia 16 Rebs: Cubilla, Rivero 11 Asts: Oliva 6	Arena: Gimnasio Manuel Bernardo Aguirre Referees: Juan Fernández (ARG), Gonzalo Salgueiro (ARG), Jesús López (VEN)

2022

United States   v   Puerto Rico

24 February 2022	United States	93–76	Puerto Rico
	Scoring by quarter: 20–27, 22–17, 32–14, 19–18
		Boxscore

Cuba   v   Puerto Rico

27 February 2022	Cuba	62–65	Puerto Rico
	Scoring by quarter: 14–12, 22–19, 11–21, 15–13
		Boxscore

Mexico   v   Puerto Rico

1 July 2023 2022 CAC Games	Mexico	64–53	Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico   v   Cuba

2 July 2023 2022 CAC Games	Puerto Rico	90–84	Cuba

Puerto Rico   v   El Salvador

3 July 2023 2022 CAC Games	Puerto Rico	93–72	El Salvador

Dominican Republic   v   Puerto Rico

4 July 2023 2022 CAC Games	Dominican Republic	91–84	Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico   v   Nicaragua

5 July 2023 2022 CAC Games	Puerto Rico	79–59	Nicaragua

2023

Brazil   v   Puerto Rico

23 February 2023 2023 FIBA World Cup – Americas Qualifiers	Brazil	90–92	Puerto Rico	Santa Cruz do Sul (BRA)
	Scoring by quarter: 24–24, 20–28, 26–21, 20–19
		Boxscore		Arena: Ginásio Polideportivo Arnao

Colombia   v   Puerto Rico

26 February 2023 2023 FIBA World Cup – Americas Qualifiers	Colombia	80–87	Puerto Rico	Medellin (COL)
	Scoring by quarter: 20–25, 16–16, 24–19, 20–27
		Boxscore

South Sudan   v   Puerto Rico

26 August 2023 2023 FIBA World Cup – Group stage	South Sudan	96–1010(OT)	Puerto Rico	Quezon City, Philippines
	Scoring by quarter: 29–21, 23–18, 15–18, 14–21, Overtime: 15–20
	Pts: Jones 38 Rebs: Gabriel, Shayok 7 Asts: Jones 11	Boxscore	Pts: Thompson Jr. 21 Rebs: Thompson Jr. 13 Asts: Waters 11	Arena: Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City Attendance: 3,166 Referees: Guilherme Locatelli (BRA), Luis Castillo (ESP), Carlos Peralta (ECU)

Puerto Rico   v   Serbia

28 August 2023 2023 FIBA World Cup – Group stage	Puerto Rico	vs.	Serbia	Quezon City, Philippines
				Arena: Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City

China   v   Puerto Rico

30 August 2023 2023 FIBA World Cup – Group stage	China	vs.	Puerto Rico	Quezon City, Philippines
				Arena: Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City

2024

Puerto Rico   v   Bahamas

22 February 2024	Puerto Rico	vs.	Bahamas
		Boxscore

Bahamas   v   Puerto Rico

25 February 2024	Bahamas	vs.	Puerto Rico
		Boxscore

United States   v   Puerto Rico

22 November 2024	United States	vs.	Puerto Rico
		Boxscore

Cuba   v   Puerto Rico

25 November 2024	Cuba	vs.	Puerto Rico
		Boxscore

Puerto Rico   v   United States

20 February 2025	Puerto Rico	vs.	United States
		Boxscore

Puerto Rico   v   Cuba

23 February 2025	Puerto Rico	vs.	Cuba
		Boxscore

Team

Current roster

Roster for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.^[43][44]

Puerto Rico men's national basketball team roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr. F 00 John Holland 34 – (1988-11-06)6 November 1988 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Hapoel Tel Aviv   PF 0 Isaiah Piñeiro 28 – (1995-02-02)2 February 1995 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) Piratas de Quebradillas   F 1 George Conditt IV 23 – (2000-08-22)22 August 2000 2.12 m (6 ft 11 in) Gigantes de Carolina   PG 3 Jordan Howard 27 – (1996-01-06)6 January 1996 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) Obradoiro   G 11 Stephen Thompson Jr. 26 – (1997-03-23)23 March 1997 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) Bnei Herzliya   F 12 Aleem Ford 25 – (1997-12-22)22 December 1997 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Leones de Ponce   F 21 Justin Reyes 28 – (1995-03-16)16 March 1995 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) Pallacanestro Varese   C 28 Ismael Romero 32 – (1991-06-23)23 June 1991 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Vaqueros de Bayamón   PF 32 Chris Ortiz (C) 30 – (1993-04-02)2 April 1993 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) Osos de Manati   PF 41 Arnaldo Toro Barea 25 – (1997-10-28)28 October 1997 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) Cariduros de Fajardo   PG 51 Tremont Waters 25 – (1998-01-10)10 January 1998 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) Gigantes de Carolina   G 55 Ethan Thompson 24 – (1999-05-04)4 May 1999 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Windy City Bulls	Head coach   Nelson Colón Assistant coach(es)   Carlos González Legend (C) Team captain Club – describes last club before the tournament Age – describes age on 25 August 2023

Retired numbers

Puerto Rico retired numbers
No.	Player	Pos.	Tenure	Ref.
4	José Ortiz	PF / C	1983–2004
14	Raymond Dalmau	PF	1966–1985

Head coach position

•   Víctor Mario Pérez (1959)
•   Howie Shannon (1960–1963)
•   José Garrige (1963)
•   Lou Rossini (1964–1967)
•   Fufi Santori (1967)
•   Lou Rossini (1968–1972)
•   Gene Bartow (1972–1974)
•   Armando Torres (1974–1976)
•   Tom Nissalke (1976–1978)
•   Víctor Ojeda (1978–1986)
•   Ángel Cancel (1986–1988)
•   Armando Torres Ortiz (1988–1990)
•   Raymond Dalmau (1990–1994)
•   Carlos Morales (1994–2002)
•   Julio Toro (2002–2006)
•   Manolo Cintrón (2010–2011)
•   Flor Meléndez (2011–2013)
•   Paco Olmos (2013–2014)
•   Rick Pitino (2015)
•   Eddie Casiano (2016–2021)
•   Omar González (2019; Pan American Games)
•   Nelson Colón (2021–present)

Past rosters

1959 World Championship

• Alfonso Lastra
• Juan "Pachin" Vicens
• Juan Ramon "Johnny" Baez
• Jose Angel Cestero
• Johnny Rodriguez
• Evelio Droz
• John Morales
• Jose Antonio Casillas
• Martin Jimenez
• Jose A. Ruano
• Salvador Dijols (Coach: Victor Mario Perez)

1960 Summer Olympic Games

• Juan "Pachin" Vicens
• Teofilo "Teo" Cruz
• Evelio Droz
• Juan Ramon "Johnny" Baez
• Jose Angel Cestero
• Jose Antonio Casillas
• Johnny Rodriguez
• Rafael Valle
• Jose Santori
• Angel Cancel
• John Morales
• Cesar Bocachica (Coach: Howie Shannon)

1963 World Championship

• Juan "Pachin" Vicens
• Juan Ramon "Johnny" Baez
• Bill McCadney
• Rafael Valle
• Evelio Droz
• Salvador Dijols
• Eduardo Alvarez
• Cesar Bocachica
• Ramon Siragusa
• Tomas Gutierrez
• Angel Cancel
• Armando Torres (Coach: Jose Garrige)

1964 Summer Olympic Games

• Teofilo "Teo" Cruz
• Juan "Pachin" Vicens
• Bill McCadney
• Juan Ramon "Johnny" Baez
• Tomas Gutierrez
• Evelio Droz
• Ruben Adorno
• Angel Cancel
• Martin Anza
• Alberto Zamot
• Jaime Frontera
• Angel Garcia (Coach: Lou Rossini)

1967 World Championship

• Raymond Dalmau
• Bill McCadney
• Tomas Gutierrez
• Angel Cancel
• Rafael Rivera
• Gustavo Mattei
• Francisco Cordova
• Mariano Ortiz
• Alberto Zamot
• Victor Cuevas
• Adolfo Porrata
• Richard Pietri (Coach: Jose Santori Coll)

1968 Summer Olympic Games

• Raymond Dalmau
• Teofilo "Teo" Cruz
• Bill McCadney
• Joe Hatton
• Ruben Adorno
• Alberto Zamot
• Angel Cancel
• Tomas Gutierrez
• Mariano Ortiz
• Francisco Cordova
• Jaime Frontera
• Adolfo Porrata (Coach: Lou Rossini)

1972 Summer Olympic Games

• Teofilo "Teo" Cruz
• Raymond Dalmau
• Hector Blondet
• Neftali Rivera
• Ruben Rodriguez
• Joe Hatton
• Mariano Ortiz
• Billy Baum
• Earl Brown
• Miguel Coll
• Jimmy Thordsen
• Ricardo Calzada (Coach: Gene Bartow)

1974 World Championship

• Teofilo "Teo" Cruz
• Raymond Dalmau
• Neftali Rivera
• Hector Blondet
• Ruben Rodriguez
• Jimmy Thordsen
• Mariano Ortiz
• Michael Vicens
• Ruben Montanez
• Carlos Bermudez
• Jose Pacheco
• Luis Brignoni (Coach: Armandito Torres Ortiz)

1976 Summer Olympic Games

• Teofilo "Teo" Cruz
• Raymond Dalmau
• Neftali Rivera
• Earl Brown
• Hector Blondet
• Jimmy Thordsen
• Mariano Ortiz
• Michael Vicens
• Roberto "Bobby" Alvarez
• Alfred Lee
• Ruben Rodriguez
• Luis Brignoni (Coach: Tom Nissalke)

1978 World Championship

• Raymond Dalmau
• Neftali Rivera
• Ruben Rodriguez
• Angel "Cachorro" Santiago
• Steven Sewell
• Hector Olivencia, Willie Quinones
• Georgie Torres
• Carlos Bermudez
• Mario Morales
• J. Villet
• O. Rodriguez (Coach: Victor Ojeda)

1986 World Championship

• Federico "Fico" Lopez
• Ramon Rivas
• Jerome Mincy
• Angelo Cruz
• Felix Rivera
• Edgar de Leon
• Wesley Correa
• Jose Sosa
• Orlando Febres
• Frankie Torruellas
• Mario Morales
• Francisco de Leon (Coach: Angel Cancel)

1988 Summer Olympic Games

• Federico "Fico" Lopez
• Jose "Piculin" Ortiz
• Ramon Ramos
• Jerome Mincy
• Ramon Rivas
• Angelo Cruz
• Edgar de Leon
• Mario Morales
• Roberto Rios
• Francisco de Leon
• Raymond Gausse
• Vicente Ithier (Coach: Armandito Torres Ortiz)

1990 World Championship

• Federico "Fico" Lopez
• Jose "Piculin" Ortiz
• Ramon Rivas
• Jerome Mincy
• Angelo Cruz
• Edgar de Leon
• James Carter
• Francisco de Leon
• Georgie Torres
• Raymond Gausse
• Jose Agosto
• Orlando Marrero (Coach: Raymond Dalmau)

1992 Summer Olympic Games

• Jose "Piculin" Ortiz
• Federico "Fico" Lopez
• Eddie Casiano
• Ramon Rivas
• Jerome Mincy
• Edgar de Leon
• James Carter
• Mario Morales
• Richard Soto
• Raymond Gausse
• Edwin Pellot
• Javier Antonio Colon (Coach: Raymond Dalmau)

1994 World Championship

• Jose "Piculin" Ortiz
• Federico "Fico" Lopez
• Eddie Casiano
• Edgar de Leon
• Jerome Mincy
• James Carter
• Orlando Vega
• Felix Perez
• Ruben Colon
• Dean Borges
• Javier Colon
• Luis Ramon Allende (Coach: Carlos Morales)

1996 Summer Olympic Games

• Jose "Piculin" Ortiz
• Ramon Rivas
• Daniel Santiago
• Pablo Alicea
• Edgar Padilla
• Jerome Mincy
• Richard Soto
• Heriberto "Eddie" Rivera
• George "Georgie" Torres
• Carmelo Travieso
• Eugenio Soto
• Luis Joel Curbelo (Coach: Carlos Morales)

1998 World Championship

• Jose "Piculin" Ortiz
• Eddie Casiano
• Orlando Vèga
• Daniel Santiago
• Jerome Mincy
• James Carter
• Eugenio Soto
• Edgar de Leon
• Carmelo Travieso
• Eddin Santiago
• Javier Colon
• Rolando Hourruitiner (Coach: Carlos Morales)

2002 World Championship

• Carlos Arroyo
• Elias "Larry" Ayuso
• Daniel Santiago
• Jose "Piculin" Ortiz
• Rick Apodaca
• Jerome Mincy
• Christian Dalmau
• Raymond "Richie" Dalmau
• Rolando Hourruitiner
• Luis Ramon Allende
• Antonio Latimer
• Felix Javier Perez (Coach: Julio Toro)

2004 Summer Olympic Games

• Carlos Arroyo
• Elias "Larry" Ayuso
• Jose "Piculin" Ortiz
• Daniel Santiago
• Eddie Casiano
• Rick Apodaca
• Christian Dalmau
• Sharif Karim Fajardo
• Peter John Ramos
• Roberto Jose "Bobby Joe" Hatton
• Rolando Hourruitiner
• Jorge Luis Rivera (Coach: Julio Toro)

2006 World Championship

• Carlos Arroyo
• David Huertas
• Daniel Santiago
• Rick Apodaca
• Guillermo Díaz
• Peter John Ramos
• Roberto Jose "Bobby Joe" Hatton
• Antonio "Puruco" Latimer
• Carmelo Antrone Lee
• Filiberto Isaac Rivera
• Manuel Antonio Narvaez
• Angelo Luis Reyes (Coach: Julio Toro)

See also

•  Puerto Rico portal
•  Sports portal

• Puerto Rico women's national basketball team

References

1. "FIBA Ranking Presented by Nike". FIBA. 27 February 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
2. . FIBA Americas. Archived from the original on July 12, 2010. Retrieved August 25, 2007.
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4. Hiram Martinez, El Nuevo Dia 18 August 1991 pg 206 "Cómodo el triunfo sobre México"
5. . Archived from the original on 7 September 2015.
6. José R. Ortúzar (6 August 2007). "Deportes". A la cancha. p. 62. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
7. Raúl álzaga Sánchez-Bretón (1 February 2008). "La clasificación está accesible". Primera Hora. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
8. Raúl Álzaga Sánchez-Bretón (20 May 2008). "Muchas ausencias en primera práctica". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 June 2008.
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10. Raúl Álzaga Sánchez-Bretón (30 June 2008). "Mojica y 'Bimbo' completan la Selección". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 July 2008.
11. Raúl Álzaga Sánchez-Bretón (1 July 2008). "¡Desplante de Angelo Reyes!: Le dice 'no' a la Selección". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 July 2008.
12. Raúl Álzaga Sánchez-Bretón (2 July 2008). "Reversazo de Reyes". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 July 2008.
13. Lester Jiménez (9 July 2008). "Angelo Reyes no irá a Grecia". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 July 2008.
14. Raúl Álzaga Sánchez-Bretón (4 July 2008). "Boricuas debutan con triunfo ante Alemania". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 July 2008.
15. "Derrota ante los griegos". Primera Hora (in Spanish). 5 July 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
16. Luis Modestti (6 July 2008). "Greece beats Puerto Rico to win the Supercup". myFIBA. Retrieved 13 March 2008.
17. "Puerto Rico vence a Nueva Zelanda en baloncesto". Primera Hora (in Spanish). 8 July 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2008.
18. "Puerto Rico vence a Irán 83–80". Primera Hora (in Spanish). 9 July 2008. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
19. Lester Jiménez (10 July 2008). "Pierde nuestra Selección ante Eslovenia". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 July 2008.
20. Luis Modestti (11 July 2008). "Puerto Rico loses to Slovenia, makes final cut". myFIBA. Retrieved 13 March 2008.
21. Puerto Rico derrota a Eslovenia. 18 July 2008. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
22. José R. Ortúzar (21 July 2008). Con la cabeza en alto Puerto Rico. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
23. José Ayala Gordián (28 August 2008). "Los Boricuas arrancaron con una cómoda 'salsa'". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 August 2008.
24. Puerto Rico vence a Cuba. 29 August 2008. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
25. Luce Barea para mantener invicto de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). El Vocero. 30 August 2008.
26. Alex Figueroa Cancel (29 August 2008). "Arroyo no jugará hoy tras golpe en ojo". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 August 2008.
27. "Puerto Rico va por el oro". Primera Hora (in Spanish). 21 August 2008. Retrieved 31 August 2008.
28. "PUR/BIZ – Puerto Rico vence a Belice para ganar el Grupo B" (in Spanish). FIBA Americas. 10 July 2010. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
29. Wilson Tavárez (July 12, 2010). (in Spanish). DiaDeportivo.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2011. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
30. . Archived from the original on 12 September 2011.
31. FIgueroa, Jorge (25 February 2019). "Puerto Rico vence a Uruguay y clasifica al Mundial FIBA". El Nuevo Dia.
32. Jose Alvarado (basketball)
33. https://www.si.com/nba/pelicans/basketball/pelicans-guard-jose-alvarado-wont-play-in-fiba-world-cup-tournament
34. https://www.fiba.basketball/americup/2025/qualifiers/news/the-fiba-americup-2025-qualifiers-stage-is-set
35. "Men Basketball Central American and Caribbean Games Archive". Todor Krastev. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
36. . AOL Time Warner Company. Archived from the original on August 10, 2009. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
37. . AOL Time Warner Company. Archived from the original on February 24, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
38. . AOL Time Warner Company. Archived from the original on May 19, 2000. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
39. . AOL Time Warner Company. Archived from the original on August 10, 2009. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
40. "2001 Goodwill Games". AOL Time Warner Company. Retrieved 11 December 2009.
41. "First Men's Goodwill Games – 1986". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on 5 February 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2009.
42. "2001 Goodwill Games News". AOL Time Warner Company. Retrieved 11 December 2009.
43. "El plantel y roster de Puerto Rico para el Mundial de basquetbol 2023: Lista de jugadores y datos". sportingnews.com. 22 August 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
44. "Team roster: Puerto Rico" (PDF). FIBA. 25 August 2023.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Puerto Rico men's national basketball team.

• Official website  
• FIBA Profile
• Gallery of Pictures of Puerto Rican players at enciclopediapr.org