The news came down on Tuesday, suddenly and surprisingly: Amar’e Stoudemire would be retiring from the NBA as a member of the New York Knicks.
Maybe this shouldn’t have been too shocking. Beyond Stoudemire electing to retire with the Knicks rather than the Phoenix Suns, the move makes sense. He is 33, he has been battling knee injuries for years on end, and the game has transitioned away from bigs who cannot shoot threes or protect the rim, or even explode toward the basket with gusto anymore. Amar’e, quite simply, didn’t fit in today’s league.
But 33 isn’t that old, and to dismiss Stoudemire’s decision as predictable is to ignore how amazing his career had been. He remains one of the best pick-and-roll finishers the NBA has ever seen, and when he was hitting long twos and finishing step-backs, pull-ups, etc. off the dribble, he was an unstoppable scorer. He rarely excelled on defense, but that seldom seemed like a lack of effort. There were moments of inactivity; mostly, though, he just couldn’t grasp the nuances needed to become an optimal force on the less glamorous end.
Perhaps the clue should have been that Amar’e never adjusted to life outside of superstardom. He put in crazed amounts of work and rarely spoke of himself as a complementary weapon. He wanted to dominate, as the six-time All-Star that he was, every time he stepped on the floor.
And on that note, Stoudemire may not have stepped on the floor for the last time. There’s a chance, according to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein, he ends up continuing his professional basketball career in China or Israel:
Amar'e Stoudemire has lucrative interest from China, sources say, or could play in Israel for the team (Hapoel Jerusalem) he co-owns … BUT
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 26, 2016
But I'm told Stoudemire plans to take some time before deciding if he intends to play pro basketball abroad in the coming season or stay put
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 26, 2016
This seems like a pretty good idea from the outside, if Stoudemire is still ready to mentally and physically prepare for the grind of playing overseas. It allows him to get one last taste of dominant notoriety, in a setting where he will be valued and used and treated like a superstar, while also giving himself a better shot of taking over the last game he ever plays.
