“Grand theft Alvarado” Pelicans star Jose Alvarado sneaks up on Kenny Smith to steal the ball on Inside the NBA

“Grand theft Alvarado” Pelicans star Jose Alvarado sneaks up on Kenny Smith to steal the ball on Inside the NBA

Jose Alvarado attracted the attention of basketball fans across the globe after his incredible performance in the 2021-22 NBA season. Playing for the New Orleans Pelicans, Alvarado in his rookie year, became quite the sensation with in the franchise and gained a spot of the playoff rotation as well. He averaged 8.0 PPG in the 2022 Playoffs while shooting 37.5% from long-range. But what captured the attention for New Orleans fans most was Alvarado with his method for stealing the ball from opposition players while sneaking up on them from behind.

Even veteran like Chris Paul, who is known to have one the highest basketball IQ in the league, has been taken aback by Alvarado’s cheeky tactics. Alvarado snuck up on CP3 during Game 4 of the first-round playoff series between the Pelicans and the Phoenix Suns. He made his unorthodox steal in the closing minutes of the contest that helped the Pelicans grab an easy bucket.

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Alvarado becoming the next sensation of the league

The 24-year-old rookie has now earned the nickname ‘Grand Theft Alvarado’ for his trademark style of sneaking up from behind and stealing the ball when the opponent least expects it. On Monday night, ‘Inside the NBA’ crew member Kenny Smith was the latest to fall victim to Alvarado’s trick.

Smith was making his way to the giant screen behind the Inside the NBA crew, while dribbling a basketball, when Alvarado crept up on him and stripped him of the ball and ran to the screen to beat Kenny. Alavarado’s play delighted the other guests on the show, including Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson.

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Despite the Pelicans were defeat and elimination in games 6 against the Phoenix Suns, Jose Alvarado certainly made an impact in the series and show the league the immense potential that the young talents have in the team. Besides scoring off the bench, the boost that he gave the team to propel them towards a tougher fight, with his energy and defense was certainly appreciated by not only the team and the Pelicans’ loyalists but also fans around the league. It is not usual to see a 8th seeded team give a 1st seeded team the hard time like Pelicans did.

Moreover, Alvarado does not see his first playoff appearance as his last. He promises to get better and has already committed to win the Defensive Player of the Year. Alvarado, joined the Pelicans on a two-way contract before signing a standard contract with the team in March 2022, made this declaration on Twitter a few days ago.

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