Former NBA point guard Carlos Arroyo was emotional Sunday after his home country of Puerto Rico’s men’s basketball team secured a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Puerto Rico defeated Lithuania 79-68 in the championship game of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament held at the Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The winners were led by New Orleans Pelicans point guard Jose Alvarado, who finished with 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting, along with 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 4 three-pointers. The victory ended a 20-year Olympic drought for Puerto Rican basketball.
Arroyo, who played for Puerto Rico in the 2000s, shared a heartwarming moment with Alvarado after the final result.
Special moment for Carlos Arroyo as he returns to the Olympic stage with Puerto Rico ????????#FIBAOQT pic.twitter.com/n3Itnj3xq1
— FIBA (@FIBA) July 8, 2024
Arroyo has been Puerto Rico’s chief executive since 2021, so this was a big moment for him.
Arroyo played 9 seasons in the NBA, mostly as a role player. The player played for 7 different teams throughout his career, averaging 6.6 points and 3.1 assists per game.
Although Arroyo didn’t have the most decorated NBA career, the 6-foot-2 point guard built a reputation as one of the best international point guards of his era.
The Puerto Rican sparkled Team USA when the two teams met at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Arroyo scored 25 points, had seven assists and four steals in the 92-73 victory, which was Team USA’s first loss at the Olympics since the program began sending NBA players in 1992.
Arroyo appears to have found his spiritual successor in Alvarado, who brings as much energy to the field as the 44-year-old did decades ago.
