Amar'e Carsares Stoudemire[1] (pronunciation: /əˈmɑreɪ ˈstɒdəmaɪər/; born November 16, 1982) is an American professional basketball center and power forward for the New York Knicks. Taken in the first round with the ninth overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, he spent the first eight years of his career with the Phoenix Suns. He is listed by NBA.com as 6 feet 10 inches (208 cm) and 240 pounds (110 kg).
Stoudemire won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2003, made six appearances in the NBA All-Star Game, made first-team All-NBA in 2007, and won a Bronze Medal with the United States men's national basketball team at the 2004 Olympic Games.
Stoudemire's first name had previously been listed in the Phoenix Suns media guide as Amaré or Amare, but it was changed to Amar'e in October 2008.[2] Stoudemire told NBA.com that his name had always been spelled Amar'e, but the media had been spelling it incorrectly since he joined the NBA.
Stoudemire was born in Lake Wales, Florida. His father, Hazell, died of a heart attack when Stoudemire was 12, and his mother, Carrie, was in and out of prison during that time.[4][5]
As a result, he attended six different high schools—among them Mount Zion Christian Academy—before graduating from Cypress Creek High School in Orlando, Florida.[5] He told Isaac Perry in an article for Dime Magazine that what kept him going in that time period was God and the words of rapper Tupac Shakur.
He did not start playing organized basketball until he was 14.[6] Stoudemire only played two years of high school-level basketball, but in those two years he was named the MVP of the Nike Summer League. He committed to play at the University of Memphis, but never attended the school.
Instead, he declared for the NBA draft because of his desire to help his family quickly. The Phoenix Suns decided on him with the ninth pick in the 2002 NBA Draft due to a need for inside strength at the time. Phoenix was the only team that year to select a high school player in the first round.
In his rookie season, Stoudemire averaged 13.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, with a season high of 38 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 30, 2002, the highest score by a prep-to-pro player until broken a year later by LeBron James.[citation needed] Stoudemire won the NBA's Rookie of the Year award, beating out Yao Ming and Caron Butler and becoming the first player drafted out of high school to win the award.
The following season, Stoudemire improved statistically,[7][8] but his team stumbled to a 29–53 record, and point guard Stephon Marbury was traded to the New York Knicks. During the summer of 2004, Stoudemire was selected to play for the eventual Bronze Medal-winning United States national team in the 2004 Summer Olympics. However, head coach Larry Brown declined to give him significant playing time[quantify].
During the 2004–05 NBA season, Stoudemire teamed up with point guard Steve Nash to lead the Suns to a 62–20 record. Averaging 26 points per game that year and achieving a new career high of 50 points against the Portland Trail Blazers on January 2, 2005, he was selected to his first National Basketball Association All-Star Game as a reserve forward. In the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, Stoudemire performed magnificently, averaging 37 points per game, but the Suns lost in 5 games.
During the 2005–06 NBA pre-season, knee cartilage damage was discovered and Stoudemire underwent microfracture surgery on October 18, 2005. Initially, the Suns thought he would return by mid-February,[9] but his rehab took longer than expected. Stoudemire, however, scored 20 points in his return against the Portland Trail Blazers, but went scoreless his third game against the New Jersey Nets on March 27, 2006. On March 28 it was announced that he would likely miss the rest of the regular season due to ongoing stiffness in both knees. His manager stated that the comeback came a little too soon, and Stoudemire needed to do more rehab.[10] Stoudemire's rehabilitation, which was led by Suns trainer Aaron Nelson[11] and Dr. Micheal Clark, the president and CEO of the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)[12] went well as he stated during the rehab that he was pretty explosive and he gradually gained his strength back.
Before the 2006–07 season, Stoudemire changed his jersey number from 32 to 1.[14] Dijon Thompson, last wore #1 the previous season.[14]
Stoudemire joined the United States national team once and began practicing with the international team in July, but was dropped from the squad for its trip to Asia because coach Mike Krzyzewski believed he needed a proper chance to fully recover from his knee injuries.
On February 18, 2007, Stoudemire appeared in the 2007 NBA All-Star Game, his second NBA All-Star Game appearance. He scored 29 points and grabbed 9 rebounds, and came in second in MVP voting to winner Kobe Bryant.[citation needed] He had previously announced that he would make the All Star Game in his first season back after his knee recovered.[citation needed]
During the 2007 NBA Playoffs, in a series against the San Antonio Spurs, Stoudemire accused Manu Ginóbili and Bruce Bowen of being "dirty" players.[15][16] Stoudemire was suspended for Game 5 for leaving the bench area after an altercation between guard Steve Nash and Robert Horry. The Suns lost to the Spurs in six games.
With new coach Terry Porter, the Suns game turned more to an emphasis on defense and a more controlled offense. The Suns offensive slowdown affected Stoudemire, whose scoring average dropped about 4 points from the previous season, although he was still leading the team in scoring and rebounding. The Suns also struggled with Terry Porter's system, and were just 28–23 and had lost their last five games just before the 2009 NBA All-Star game. Stoudemire started for the winning Western Conference in the 2009 NBA All-Star Game.
On February 19, in a game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Stoudemire suffered a detached retina, although he may have injured it earlier as he had been bothered by the same eye even before this game. He had injured the same eye in preseason, although this injury involved a partially torn iris, with no damage to his retina. He said then that he would have to wear protective goggles for the rest of his career, but stopped wearing them after seven games.[17] Stoudemire underwent eye surgery to repair the retina. The recovery took eight weeks, which forced him to miss the remainder of the regular season.[18] He announced that he would wear protective goggles when he returned to play the following season.
In the 2009–10 season, Stoudemire would eventually lead the Suns to a 54–28 record, clinching the third seed in the Western Conference. The Suns would defeat the Portland Trail Blazers 4–2 during the first round and beat the San Antonio Spurs 4–0 in the Conference Semifinals, to meet the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the Conference Finals. After dropping the first two games, Stoudemire would score 42 points in game 3 and 21 in game 4, to help the Suns tie the series 2–2. After Ron Artest's buzzer beater in game 5 and Kobe Bryant's 37 points in game 6, the Suns lost the series 4–2.
On June 30, 2010, Stoudemire opted out of his contract with the Phoenix Suns, which made him an unrestricted free agent. On July 5, 2010, Stoudemire and the New York Knicks agreed in principle to a contract estimated to be worth around $99.7 million over five years.[20] On the first day that free agents were allowed to officially sign, the Knicks formally introduced Stoudemire at Madison Square Garden.[21] With the Knicks, Stoudemire was reunited with head coach Mike D'Antoni, who had coached him with the Suns. On December 15, 2010, in a loss against the Boston Celtics, Stoudemire set a franchise record with his ninth straight 30-point game.[22] On December 17, 2010, Stoudemire set a franchise record with his ninth straight game shooting 50 percent or better from the field.[citation needed] On January 27th, 2011, Stoudemire was named a starter on the Eastern Conference All Star Team alongside LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, and Dwight Howard. On February 22, 2011 the Knicks made a 3-team trade with the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves that sent Nuggets superstar Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks along with the Nuggets' starting point guard Chauncey Billups.[23] In 2011, the Knicks made the playoffs for the first time since 2004. Stoudemire was injured during the playoffs. In the first round of the playoffs, the Knicks were swept by the Boston Celtics.
In November 2008, Stoudemire received the NBA's Community Assist Award, for his work with his Each 1, Teach 1 Foundation, and its efforts to provide safe drinking water in Sierra Leone by funding the building of water wells in impoverished villages. Stoudemire visited the country in Summer 2008, making visits to water well sites and meeting with President Ernest Bai Koroma and the rest of the cabinet.
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