I think it would be fair to say that practically all recent American news outlets have focused on the never-ending garbage fire that is the 2016 Presidential election. This unbalance in media focus has made it all too easy to avoid talking about the tragedy that struck our nation last July. I am talking, of course, about Amar’e Stoudemire retiring from the NBA. I joke, of course, but the truth is, we will probably never see another player quite like Amar’e, both in terms of skill-set on the court and general ridiculousness off of it. With this in mind, I think it’s worth taking a minute to look back at the career of one of the most entertaining players in the history of the NBA.
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When I think of Amar’e Stoudemire, the first thing that comes to mind is the Phoenix Suns team he played for during most of the 2000s. I’m a die-hard Dallas fan, so I do have some bittersweet memories of those Suns, but the truth is, they were so much fun to watch. Steve Nash and Amar’e were capable of so many awe-inspiring plays that is was impossible to look away from that 7-second Phoenix offense (even as they ran circles around my hero Dirk Nowitzki). With the exception of this year’s Golden State Warriors, I cannot think of a modern team that revolutionized the game of basketball more than the mid-2000s Phoenix Suns. It would probably be fair to say that Steve Nash was the best player on that team, but Amar’e Stoudemire was the most revolutionary.
Before Amar’e, centers were simple. They were big, slow rebounding machines who specialized in bullying smaller players. Amar’e was different. Amar’e was fast, explosive and played with finesse. He was quick enough to lose bigger defenders, strong enough to overpower smaller ones, and smart enough to figure out which strategy he should use. Amar’e is the reason we have centers like Anthony Davis today; not many players have left their mark on the game like that. Indeed, there was a while when it looked like Amar’e might be able to develop into one of the best players in the NBA.
Everything changed for Amar’e in 2010, when he signed with the talent-eating black hole that is the New York Knicks. I’ll admit, he was good for a couple years, but between injuries, James Dolan and a team with the on-court chemistry of a potato, Amar’e’s basketball career essentially ended when he left Phoenix for New York. New York also marked the beginning of his off-court issues. He injured his back while messing around in practice, which caused him to miss the playoffs. Never one to be outdone (even by himself), he punched a fire extinguisher after a loss in the playoffs the next year, which caused him to miss the following game. He also had to deal with the tragic death of his brother, which affected him profoundly.
Despite all this; the ups, the downs and the fire extinguishers, the defining moment of Amar’e Stoudemire’s career did not come on the basketball court. No, the defining moment of Amar’e’s 12 year NBA career occurred in early 2015, when he gave an interview while bathing in a tub full of red wine. In this interview he explains that he does this because “they say a glass of wine a day keeps the doctor away… so I took it upon myself to submerge myself in some red wine.” I know that Amar’e Stoudemire isn’t dead or even done playing basketball (he will be playing in Israel next year). However, the truth is that I never want to think of Amar’e in any way other than dunking in Phoenix or submerged in red wine. The world will miss you, Mr. Stoudemire.
