Puerto Rico's national basketball team will face Canada on Friday without José Alvarado, who is finalizing his new contract with the New York Knicks. The team has a record of 1-3 in the FIBA World Cup 2027 qualifying games and needs to win at least one of its next two games to keep its aspirations alive.
Canada, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, has a perfect record of 4-0 and is already qualified. The game against Canada will be broadcast on Wapa Deportes at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, and the team will also face Bahamas on Monday.
Alvarado will be available for the game against Bahamas, but his absence on Friday will limit the team's options at the point guard position, with only Jezreel 'Macho' De Jesús available. The president of the Puerto Rico Basketball Federation, Yum Ramos, explained that Alvarado's contract cannot be made official until the NBA's moratorium period ends on July 6.