Knicks guard Jose Alvarado is still enjoying the celebration after helping deliver an NBA championship to New York, but he says the biggest reward is showing young people from the city that they can achieve their dreams.
Raised in the Roberto Clemente Houses in Williamsburg, the Brooklyn native said being the only New Yorker on the Knicks gives him a chance to inspire local kids and remind them “that there is hope.”
Asked what it means to represent his hometown as the team’s lone NYC-born player, the 28-year-old kept his answer simple.
“It’s the best.”
Winning a title with his hometown team has made the experience even more meaningful.
“Especially when you win a championship,” he told The Post from the ESPYs red carpet at Lincoln Center on Wednesday.
“It’s cool being home and being a kid from here and just to experience all this.”
Although his teammates occasionally ask about New York, Alvarado said he usually sticks to the places he grew up with instead of popular hotspots.
“I mean sometimes, but you know, they already know where to go to get good food … But I just go to my own spots where I’m from.”
Alvarado also reflected on the support of his family. His father, Jose Sr., a Local 3 union electrician, moved the family to Flushing when he was 8 to give him better athletic opportunities.
“My dad is a hard-working man, so he got me in the right situation with my mom, and so it was just perfect,” he said.
Following the Knicks’ championship-clinching Game 5 victory over San Antonio, Alvarado gave his father every piece of his game-worn gear, including his jersey, shorts, sneakers, headband and championship T-shirt.
“He thrives on every accomplishment I had in my life, he takes it and basically hangs it like a trophy … uniforms, trophies, everything.”
Knicks guard Jose Alvarado hopes his story can inspire NYC kids https://t.co/OrUBvQ2WCj pic.twitter.com/5KuH1m82RH
— New York Post (@nypost) July 18, 2026
