New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado suffered an injury after a scary fall in Puerto Rico's AmeriCup game on Thursday night against Argentina. After appearing to suffer some sort of lower back or tailbone injury, Alvarado was in serious pain and could not get up off the court on his own.

Alvarado was attended to on the ground for several minutes before he was removed from the arena for further testing on a stretcher.

The good news for the Pelicans and their 27-year-old guard is that he later posted on Instagram that he was fine.

“Appreciate the love, y’all,” Alvarado said in his post. “But your boy good. God got me.”

In a tight overtime game, Alvarado drove hard to the right side of the rim and missed a floater. He immediately got tied up with Argentina's Juan Fernandez while battling for the rebound, and he fell backwards while attempting to keep the ball in play.

As Argentina pushed the tempo off the turnover, Alvarado rolled on the ground in immense pain, holding his lower back and tailbone area.

Alvarado, who is entering his fifth NBA season with the Pelicans, has struggled to remain healthy and available for his team throughout the years.

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He has never played in more than 61 games in a single season during his NBA tenure, and Alvarado played only 56 games during the 2024-25 season due to multiple injuries, specifically to his hamstring and calf.

For his career, Alvarado has averaged 8.2 points, 3.1 assists, and 2.2 rebounds per game while shooting 34.8 percent from 3-point range with the Pelicans. Alvarado's defensive intensity and hard-nosed style of play make him a key contributor on New Orleans' bench.

Multiple teams have inquired about Alvarado's trade availability through the years, but the Pelicans have valued his leadership and energy in their second unit. As a result, the team awarded Alvarado with a two-year, $9 million contract last September.

That contract begins during the 2025-26 season, and he will make $4.5 million before having a player option for the 2025-26 season.

Alvarado is expected to hold a key role for the Pelicans to begin the 2025-26 season. Even after trading for Jordan Poole and drafting Jeremiah Fears with the seventh pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Alvarado has a path to playing key minutes while Dejounte Murray continues to recover from his Achilles injury.

While Pelicans fans and the front office alike collectively held their breath, worried about Alvarado's injury on Thursday night, he appears to be fine and shouldn't miss any time with the NBA preseason right around the corner.

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