It’s Day 2 of the 2024 Paris Olympics, and an injury has already marred the event for a major athlete. The ongoing matchup between South Sudan and Puerto Rico had started poorly with a national anthem mishap. Now, within the first half itself, the game came to an unexpected halt after 26-year-old point guard Jose Alvarado suffered a severe injury.

While attempting to get back up, Alvarado’s right foot caused him severe pain, prompting the player to yell and cry. Eventually, he was carried off by two Olympic officials and escorted to the locker room. He left the court after leading the Puerto Rican team with 19 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists.

Reports about the injury have already begun to circulate, with some speculating that it might bring an early end to Alvarado’s Olympic run in Paris. Although the extent of the injury is still uncertain, it was significant enough to keep Alvarado out for the second half of the game.

Fans React as Jose Alvarado’s exit diminishes the chances for Team Puerto Rico

No sooner had Alvarado exited than fans flooded social media with their reactions. One individual watching the game live first noted that the point guard was missing when halftime concluded.

Another fan expressed disappointment over Alvarado’s exit, believing the player was “cooking” during his time on the court. He suggested that Alvarado’s performance could have positively impacted the New Orleans Pelicans in the next NBA season.

Jose Alvarado’s tenure with the Pelicans, till now, hasn’t been too memorable. In the three years that he has been associated with the franchise and the NBA league, the player has only managed to average 7.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. However, there have been moments when he has gone beyond his means to deliver. After all, not everyone can produce a career-high score of 38 points within their second NBA season. Furthermore, the 19 points that he scored during Puerto Rico’s debut at the 2024 Olympics showed that the player certainly possesses some untapped potential. However, the same will only be put to the test once he recovers.

One fan certainly did not take it well when the Puerto Rican was taken to the locker room. Watching the game live, he described himself going down on the floor and to his knees when the incident took place.

By the time halftime came to a close, Puerto Rico was leading their rivals by a score of 54-48. Much of this was thanks to Jose Alvarado’s 19 points, which was made possible by the player going 6-8 with his field goals, 2-3 with his three-pointers, and 5-6 with his free throws. Tremont Waters and Jordan Howard also came through with their double-digit scores. Alvarado’s performance indicated his status as a much-needed athlete on the Puerto Rican roster.

One user was not happy with the fact that injuries seemed to be plaguing some of the renowned athletes so early on. Along with being disappointed at Alvarado’s exit, she was also not happy that Simone Biles had come down with her own troubles.

One of the most renowned gymnasts in the US, Simone Biles entered the 2024 Games looking to repeat her success from the 2016 Rio Olympics. Unfortunately, during a warmup session yesterday, the athlete reportedly tweaked her left ankle. Despite this, she had a good start during the actual Olympic event, with fans getting to witness her iconic triple-twisting, double somersault, popularly known as the Biles II. After completing her performance, Biles’s ankle was reportedly causing her to walk away ‘gingerly’ from the mat.

Basketball fans who were initially disappointed with Alvarado’s exit did not get to experience the feeling for long. Before long, the point guard returned to the court and continued leading the offensive effort. However, this later performance started to get him on the receiving end of some criticism. One viewer outright criticized the player by stating that without Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson to pass his steals to, Alvarado does not seem to be that good.

The Pelicans star was popularly nicknamed ‘Grand Theft Alvarado’ by his teammates and fans due to his ability to accumulate steals. The same came to the spotlight during a Pelicans-Lakers matchup on the 1 of January when the player stole the ball twice from All-Time Leading Scorer LeBron James. Unfortunately, that same ‘Grand Theft Alvarado’ did not make an appearance during the recent game, as he could only secure two steals by the time the minutes closed.

Overall, the reactions were supportive in light of Alvarado’s injury. With Puerto Rico having lost against South Sudan by 90-79, the opportunity to make a difference seems to be slipping from Alvarado’s hands.