Dominican Karl-Anthony Towns, a contender for a New York Knicks ring, Dominican Al Horford, who traded this summer from the Boston Celtics to the Golden State Warriors, and Mexico’s Jaime Jáquez Jr., a Miami Heat prospect, are the most representative faces of Latino talent in the NBA this year.
The goal of the three is to emulate what Horford already achieved in 2024 with the Celtics, when he won the NBA championship title after defeating the Dallas Mavericks in the Finals. These are some of the Latinos who are going for the 2026 NBA ring.
Towns, the contender
KAT by the numbers last season…
142 3PM I 52.6 FG% I 42.0 3P% I 42.0 3P%
Yeah, @KarlTowns is a lights-out shooter 👌 pic.twitter.com/cVz2S0QacW
– NBA (@NBA) October 19, 2025
The one who seems to have it closest is Towns, who last season starred in the Knicks’ most serious assault on the championship in a quarter-century, but the Indiana Pacers defeated the Big Apple team in the conference finals.
In his first year in New York, the Dominican formed an exceptional duo with shooting guard Jalen Brunson that propelled the Knicks to third place in the Eastern Conference with 51 regular season wins, a record since 2013.
Towns, who will turn 30 in November, averaged 24.4 points per game and was the league’s second-leading rebounder with 12.8 catches per night, which earned him a spot on the All-NBA third team at the end of the season.
However, the team’s performance in the playoffs seemed to be insufficient for New York’s management, which this summer opted for a change in the bench by replacing Tom Thibodeau with Mike Brown.
In addition, they extended the contract of forward Mikal Bridges, the team’s third spearhead, and acquired two high-value free agents for the second unit: Jordan Clarkson and Frenchman Guerschon Yabusele, which seems to have further improved the roster of what will be one of the main contenders for a ring in the East.
Horford, the champion
At 39 years old, Al Horford remains so sound defensively
Able to back-peddle and absorb the John Collins spin-move in space while contesting at the rim w/o fouling pic.twitter.com/3R8sMJy6a1
– Jackson Lloyd (@JacksonLloyd952) October 19, 2025
The uncertainty caused in Boston by the ruptured Achilles tendon of Jayson Tatum, who is uncertain if he will play this season, led Horford, 39, to move across the country this summer to fight for his second ring.
Although the Golden State Warriors fell like the Celtics in the second round of the playoffs last season, the California franchise ended the year on a positive trend after the mid-season addition of forward Jimmy Butler, a move that expanded its offensive arsenal beyond Stephen Curry.
The signing of Horford, who averaged 9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game last year, will bring the inches the Warriors lost with the departure of Kevon Looney this summer, plus the Dominican’s superior offensive ability and mobility.
Jáquez Jr., the promise
into the 2nd we go pic.twitter.com/39fjfiCzQ5
– Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) October 12, 2025
After a remarkable first year in which he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, Jaquez Jr.’s numbers slipped last season to 8.6 points in 20.7 minutes per game.
His third NBA season, after being selected 18th overall in the 2023 Draft, should be his confirmation, especially in light of the transition for the Heat, who finished as NBA runners-up in 2023 but have been falling in the first round for the past two years.
However, the summer addition of forward Norman Powell in a three-way trade with the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers appears to have added new competition for Jaquez Jr.
So far in the preseason, the Mexican has had good performances coming off the bench, and has scored double digits in two games.
Filed under: Latinos go for the 2026 NBA ring.
With information from EFE
