Félix Javier Pérez

Who was Félix Javier Pérez?

Félix Javier Pérez Rivera was a Puerto Rican basketball player and a member of the Puerto Rican national basketball team. He was born on May 31, 1971 in Guayama, Puerto Rico.

In 15 seasons in the BSN, Pérez played for the Mets de Guaynabo, Atléticos de San Germán, Piratas de Quebradillas, Leones de Ponce, and Capitanes de Arecibo. In 1995 he led the teams in rebounds, with 10.3 average per game.

As part of the National Team, he participated in the 1994 Goodwill Games where Puerto Rico won the gold medal. He also participated in the 1994 FIBA World Championship.

Pérez was killed on September 21, 2005 outside his home in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, when he tried to help his neighbor during a robbery. He had a wife, Sara Aponte, and four children.

In 2010, Glorimari Jaime Rodríguez, mayor of Guayama, announced that the basketball stadium of Cimarrona would receive his name in his honor. Pérez was born and raised in Cimarrona, Guayama.