Amar'e Stoudemire was among the most talented players in the league. But due to continued knee problems and other various injuries, Stoudemire decided to retire from the NBA on Tuesday.
Stoudemire was drafted straight out of high school in 2002 and spent huge part of his career with the Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks. He also played with the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat at a short time. This time, Stoudemire signed a shocking one-day contract with the Knicks then finally decides to retire.
Stoudemire announced his retirement as a player in the National Basketball Association today, after signing with the New York Knicks for his final contract in the league.
He ultimately thanked Mr. Dolan, Phil Jackson and Steve Mills for letting him sign a one-day contract so that he can officially retire as a New York Knick. "Once a Knick, Always a Knick," he said.
According to ESPN's Marc Stein, though he is retiring from the NBA, there is still a small chance that Stoudemire may still play professional basketball overseas in either China or Israel. But he also reported that Stoudemire will take a considerable amount of time before deciding to continue his playing career. Stoudemire's future career still depends on his health because of repeated injury issues.
Though Stoudemire won't be reaching his prime, he is known to be an absolute beast. Stoudemire's athleticism was off the charts and his All-Star-level play was instrumental in the Suns with so much success in the mid-2000s. The duo of Steve Nash and Stoudemire in Phoenix also became one of the more entertaining and successful teams in the history of the league.
Despite playing for the Suns for eight seasons and having success in Phoenix, Stoudemire signed with Knicks in 2010, just when the team flushed their cap space in hope to lure LeBron James. Though the Knicks lost James to Miami Heat, the team still believed in Stoudemire. The franchise showed him faith despite the numerous injuries. And this is one of the reasons why Stoudemire wanted to retire as a Knick.
A six-time All-Star and a member of five All-NBA teams, Stoudemire will retire with averages of 18.9 points and 7.8 rebounds in his 14-year career. His career may have cut short and his impact may not be as close to Duncan or other superstars, but Stoudemire dominated for a period.
Source: CBS Sports
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