Grand Theft – Jose Alvarado’s path from Christ the King High School in Middle Village to the Knicks’ first NBA Finals appearance since 1999 has a familiar feel in Queens—especially for the coach who first saw his “stealth moves” and the nickname that stuck. Ahead of Game 1
When Jose Alvarado walked into the Knicks’ world as an NBA player, Queens already knew the name.
In Middle Village, at Christ the King High School, Alvarado was a stand-out athlete whose moves seemed to come out of nowhere. His coach and principal, Joseph Arbitello, would later describe the way opposing players kept getting caught off guard—so often, the nickname stuck: “Grand Theft Alvarado.”
“‘The same thing that the Knicks love about him is what I loved about him,’” Arbitello said, speaking to what made Alvarado stand out before the league ever did. Arbitello remembered watching him as a then-ninth grader and seeing the way the work began to show.
“He kind of worked on his jump shot. He was shooting about 40% from 3 in his senior year,” Arbitello said.
Those small details—effort building into production—are the kind that make local success feel personal when it finally becomes national. Alvarado grew up in Williamsburg, then took his game first to Georgia Tech before stepping into the NBA. His professional career began with the Pelicans and later continued with the Knicks.
Now the Knicks are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, and Alvarado is playing for the team he cheered for as a kid.
For students still at Christ the King, it doesn’t feel like distant sports history. Johnny Magna, a current player on the team and headed to Lasalle on a full scholarship, said he reached out to congratulate Alvarado.
“I didn’t think he would respond because his phone was blowing up,” Magna said.
Magna said Alvarado replied anyway—telling him, “Appreciate it.”
Magna added that the moment has a clear message for everyone at the school: “We all want to get to where he’s at, and he did it by playing really hard. He’s living the life everybody wants to.”
Arbitello, who has followed Alvarado from the classroom-to-court stretch in Queens, said winning is still the center of how Alvarado shows up.
“Whether he’s playing in my camp games or playing the NBA Finals, winning is so important to him,” Arbitello said. “I was so happy for him…seeing him reach his goals and what he really wanted to do with his life.”
The welcome mat, Arbitello suggested, never really disappeared. Even as Alvarado’s path moved through Georgia Tech and across multiple NBA stops, his roots stayed in the school where he earned his nickname and learned how to make opponents feel a step behind.
Ahead of Game 1, Eyewitness News Mornings at 10 will be live from Madison Square Garden, with the Countdown to Tipoff at 7:30 p.m., followed by NBA Tip-off at 8:00 p.m. Game 1 starts at 8:30 p.m.
And on Wednesday, Ryan Field, Sam Ryan, and Anthony Johnson will all be on the road in San Antonio, with their reports available through Eyewitness News.
Jose Alvarado Knicks NBA Finals Christ the King High School Middle Village Queens Madison Square Garden Joseph Arbitello Grand Theft Alvarado Georgia Tech Pelicans Johnny Magna
So he just got called Grand Theft Alvarado for stealing… basketballs? Kinda wild.
I don’t even watch the Knicks but I love the Queens school story. Middle Village to the Finals is crazy. Also 40% from 3 is like… actually insane right?
Wait, I thought he played for the Hawks or something? Grand theft sounds like crime so I’m imagining like he was stealing the ball every play lol. And didn’t he go straight to the NBA? Georgia Tech then Pelicans then Knicks, idk it’s all blending together for me.
The nickname thing is the most Queens part of this. Coach saw “stealth moves” and suddenly it’s all branding. But the article says the nickname stuck because people got caught off guard, so like… is he stealing or is it just defense? Anyway congrats to him and his old school, I guess.