A video recorded in the vicinity of Martí Park in Cárdenas, Matanzas, shows Félix Morales Alfonso, the Cuban Olympic basketball player, in a state of hardship and neglect at the age of 73.
In the images shared on Facebook by the internet user identified as Rockie Perrie Guau, Morales appears visibly aged and speaks with resignation about his current situation: "My name is Félix Morales, a sports glory. I feel content because it is so. I am a person of great will, I am going through difficult times, as things stand."
The former athlete, considered one of the tallest players in the history of Cuban basketball, standing between 209 and 210 centimeters, also recited some verses that capture his state of mind: "They say time carries away the dreams of the heart, but mine remains awake, waiting for a glimmer of hope. Gray hairs paint my life, the years my journey."
The video sparked a wave of outrage on social media. The comments reflect widespread anger at the contrast between the former athlete's career and his current situation.
The criticism of institutional neglect was the common thread in most of the messages: “The giant Félix Morales was useful until it suited them, today he lives in oblivion as if he were rotten scrap,” noted another commentator.
A user pointed directly at the governing body of sports in Cuba: "This sad story is being witnessed by esteemed figures in sports, both retirees and those still active, who were never attended to by INDER."
Others expressed affection and sorrow: "My heart is breaking, I won’t comment. If God permits, I will search for him. Actions, not words. Stay strong, my friend," wrote one. "I met him in Matanzas, a glory of basketball. What a pity to see him like this. Blessings to that great athlete," another added.
"For God’s sake, a highly valuable athlete, and to reach old age in that way, beautiful people who only thought about honor," summarized a follower the collective feeling regarding the image of the former athlete who once represented Cuba against the world's best players.
Morales Alfonso, born on June 9, 1953, represented Cuba in the 1976 Montreal Olympics and the 1980 Moscow Olympics, where he averaged 8.2 points and 4.3 rebounds, and 11.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, respectively.
He also participated in the 1986 World Championship and the 1992 Americas Tournament in Portland, Oregon, where Cuba was the first opponent of the legendary U.S. Dream Team—consisting of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird, among other NBA stars—in its official debut, losing 57-136.
The case of Morales adds to a documented pattern of neglect towards Cuba's sporting legends.
The chess player Jesús Nogueiras accused INDER in July of failing to even provide him with daily food; the former baseball player Víctor Tornés was reported as abandoned in April after suffering a stroke; and the former boxer Gaspar Casamayor was reported in March for living in precarious conditions in Santiago de Cuba.
The structural context worsens the situation: 39% of Cuban retirees receive the minimum pension of 1,528 pesos per month, an amount insufficient to cover basic needs, and a survey of 506 retirees in five provinces revealed that 98.8% feel institutional abandonment.
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