Amar'e Carsares Stoudemire[1] (pronunciation: /əˈmɑreɪ ˈstɒdəmaɪər/; born November 16, 1982) is an American professional basketball player who plays as a power forward and center for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association. Stoudemire played high school basketball for six different schools, before graduating from Cypress Creek High School and declaring for the NBA draft as a prep-to-pro player. In high school, Stoudemire won several honors most notably being selected as Mr. Basketball for the state of Florida. He was selected in the first round with the ninth overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns and would spend eight seasons with them before signing with the New York Knicks. Stoudemire is listed at 6 feet 11 inches (211 cm) and 260 pounds (120 kg). Stoudemire is known for having a relatively successful career despite having chronic knee problems and having microfracture surger! y on his knees . Stoudemire won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2003, made six appearances in the NBA All-Star Game, was a first-team All-NBA selection 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.[3] Contents 1 Early life and career 2 NBA career 2.1 Phoenix Suns (2002–10) 2.1.1 Early years 2.1.2 Knee problems 2.2 Injuries and playoff defeats 2.3 New York Knicks (2010–present) 2.3.1 2011 NBA lockout 2.3.2 Second season in New York 3 Philanthropy 4 Personal life 5 Other ventures 6 Awards/honors 7 NBA career statistics 7.1 Regular season 7.2 Playoffs 8 See also 9 References 10 External links [edit] Ear! ly life and career Stoudemire was born in Lake Wales, Florida,! a small city within an hour's drive of Orlando. Stoudemire's parents, Carrie and Hazell, divorced at a young age. Together they had a son, Hazell Jr., as well as Amar'e. Stoudemire's mother did agricultural work, picking oranges in Florida, but she migrated north to Upstate New York during the fall to pick apples. Upon divorcing Hazell, she met another man, Artis Wilmore. Together they had a child, Marwan, who became Stoudemire's half brother. Hazell died of a heart attack when Stoudemire was 12, and his mother was in and out of prison for things such as petty theft and forgery during that time.[4][5] Because his mother was in and out of jail, Stoudemire had other outside influences to help guide him. He occasionally stayed with a policeman named Burney Hayes; he also lived with a man named Travis King, who coached Fastbreak USA, Stoudemire's AAU squad, as well as a minister named Bill Williams.[6] As a result of moving in-and-out, and his mother's problems with the law, h! e attended six different high schools in two different states. Due to all the transfers he missed his entire junior year of basketball. Stoudemire graduated 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. Apart from basketball, Stoudemire excelled in football. Stoudemire was coached by his father in his Pop Warner football team as a child and saw himself as a star receiver for the University of Miami, Florida or Florida State. Growing up Stoudemire rooted for Shaquille O'Neal who played center for his hometown Orlando Magic.[6] He did not start playing organized basketball until he was 14.[7] 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. In his senior year Stoudemire averaged 29.1 points, 15 rebounds, 6.1 blocked shots, and 2.1 steals pe! r game.[8] Stoudemire obtained several honors in high school. He was se! lected to play in the McDonald's All-American Game, won Florida Mr. Basketball, USA Today All-USA Basketball First Team,[8] and was an Orlando Sentinel Florida High School Player of the Year. In high school Stoudemire noted that his biggest goal was to make it as a NBA player.[9] Stoudemire through high school was able to make good grades and committed to John Calipari and the University of Memphis. However, he later de-committed and declared for the NBA draft because of his desire to help his family quickly[citation needed]. The Phoenix Suns decided on him with the ninth pick in the 2002 NBA Draft due to their need for an interior presence[citation needed], something they lacked since trading former all-star forward Charles Barkley. Phoenix was the only team that year to select a high school player in the first round. [edit] NBA career [edit] Phoenix Suns (2002–10) [edit] Early years 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. Stoudemire was selected to the Rookie squad in the Rookie Challenge. In the game, Stoudemire recorded 18 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals. 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. Stoudemire also was selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. The Suns, led by Stoudemire, Stephon Marbury, Shawn Marion, Anfernee Hardaway and Joe Johnson, made it to the playoffs but were defeated in six games by the eventual champions, the San Antonio Spurs. The following season, Stoudemire improved statistically,[10][11] but his team stumbled to a 29–53 record, and point guard Marbury was traded to the New York Knicks. During the season Stoudemire had a 10-block game against the Utah Jazz; he recorded six b! locks in the first quarter alone (both team records as of 2012). 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 who the Suns traded for, 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 NBA All-Star Game as a reserve forward. Stoudemire participated in the slam dunk contest. Stoudemire and Nash ran a pick-and-roll many[citation needed] have compared to Hall of Famers John Stockton and Karl Malone. In the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, Stoudemire performed magnificently[according to whom?], averaging 37 points per game, but the Suns lost in five games. [edit] Knee problems Stoudemire goes up ! for a dunk 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,[12] 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.[13] Stoudemire's rehabilitation, which was led by Suns trainer Aaron Nelson[14] and Dr. Micheal Clark, the president and CEO of the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)[15] went well as he stated during the rehab that he was pretty explosive and he gradually gained his strength back. Stoudemire attended the 2006 USA Basketbal! l camp in Las Vegas, although he ultimately did not play in the 2006 FI! BA World Championship. His athletic trainers stated that he had no swelling since his most recent surgery and his strength and flexibility have been "better than ever: almost like superman".[who?] Stoudemire played in the FIBA Americas Championship 2007, but withdrew from the national team for the 2008 Olympics. Jerry Colangelo, managing director for the national team, said, "Amar'e has pulled himself out of consideration for the roster and that's predicated on, despite the fact that he's had an injury-free year coming back, he's a little hesitant on pushing the envelope too hard." Stoudemire had said in April 2008, "It's more than a year-round grind. It's last year and the year before that and the year before that. It's really been like a three-year-round basketball circuit."[16] [edit] Injuries and playoff defeats Stoudemire shoots a free throw. Stoudemire drives to the basket against the Houston Rockets. Before the 2006–07 season, Stoudemire changed his jersey number f! rom 32 to 1.[17] Dijon Thompson, last wore #1 the previous season.[17] 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 head coach Mike Krzyzewski believed he needed a proper chance to fully recover from his knee injuries.[citation needed] On February 18, 2007, Stoudemire appeared in the 2007 NBA All-Star Game, his second all-star game appearance. He scored 29 points and grabbed 9 rebounds, and came in second in MVP voting to 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
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LAKE WALES, Florida - Officials say the brother of New York Kn! icks player Amare Stoudemire has died in a car crash. A Florida Highway! Patrol report says Read the rest
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A brother of New York Knicks star Amare Stoudemire died in a Florida car crash today after the SUV he was driving slammed into the back of a trailer Read the rest
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LAKE WALES, Fla. (AP) -- A brother of New York Knicks star Amare Stoudemire died in a Florida car crash Monday after the SUV he was driving slammed into Read the rest
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Hazell Stoudemire, the older brother of NBA player and Cypress Creek High star Amare Stoudemire, died early this morning in a crash on U.S. Highway 27 in Read the rest
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The brother of New York Knicks star Amare Stoudemire died in a car accident early Monday morning in Florida, a team spokesman confirmed to ESPNNewYork.com Read the rest
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Amar'e Carsares Stoudemire (born November 16, 1982) is an American professional basketball player who plays as a power forward and center for the New York Knicks of Read the rest