Where did Pepe play basketball? Exploring Love Island star's stats, sports career

Love Island star Pepe Garcia was a 6'3" point guard who played at Los Alamitos, Cal State Fullerton, and in European leagues before reality TV fame.

Updated on: Jul 9, 2025, 08:06:13 IST

By Shamik Banerjee

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As Love Island USA Season 7 star Jose 'Pepe' Garcia continues his journey on the reality TV show, leading up to the season finale, his basketball career remains in focus. Pepe Garcia, before embarking on his show business journey, used to be a pro basketball player. He played college basketball extensively before embarking on his professional journey in European basketball leagues.

Jose 'Pepe' Garcia of Love Island USA. (Instagram/@pepe.garcia15)

In this article, we'll look at Pepe's basketball career, starting in high school at Los Alamitos, to college at Cal State Fullerton, followed by the 6-foot-3 former point guard's stints in European leagues.

Love Island Star Pepe's Basketball Career

Love Island star Pepe Garcia, who is from Madrid, Spain, and is raised in California, had a long basketball career in the United States and European and South American leagues till the 2022-23 season.

According to a report by Blavity, Pepe Garcia started his basketball career at Los Alamitos High School, where he averaged 18.8 PPG. He then joined Cal State Fullerton and mostly filled in as a bench player. His profile on ESPN's college basketball page shows that he played two seasons for Cal State Fullerton, the 2018-19 and the 2017-18 seasons. He played for a total of nine minutes across two seasons. His stat line at Cal State stood at 3.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and a field goal percentage of 33.3%.

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Pepe Garcia reportedly declared for the 2021 NBA draft, but went undrafted. His professional records show that after being undrafted in the 2021 NBA season, he ventured abroad, playing for a third-tier professional basketball team in Spain, called CD Enrique Soler Melilla.

He mostly played as a bench player in Spain, and averaged 5 points, 33% shooting, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 turnover in 12 minutes per game.

In between his basketball career and current venture in Reality TV with Love Island USA Season 7, Pepe kicked off his career as a fitness trainer. He opened the gym in 2023 called Pro Gainz Training, a business he still runs.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shamik Banerjee
Shamik is a journalist covering the United States for Hindustan Times. He has more than four years of experience reporting on US politics, sports, and major breaking stories across fast-moving cycles. He previously worked at Times Now and Sportskeeda, building strong newsroom instincts and digital storytelling skills. At HT.com, he focuses on day-to-day coverage of US political developments while also handling high-impact stories that demand speed, accuracy, clarity, and context under pressure. Shamik has extensive experience covering NFL game days over the past two years, coordinating live updates, analysis, and explainers. He is particularly drawn to large news moments such as US elections and the Super Bowl, where he thrives at the news desk working alongside the team. He holds degrees in Media Studies from Jamia Millia Islamia and English Literature from Jadavpur University. Before entering journalism, he briefly worked in digital marketing and political consultancy roles. Currently a Senior Content Producer at HT Digital, he is driven by curiosity, discipline, and a constant desire to explore new and obscure topics. Outside work, he enjoys reading, films, sports, and learning continuously.Read More

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