Amar’e Stoudemire, a six-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA selection and Rookie of the Year whose pick-and-roll finishing and rim-rocking dunks made him one of the game’s most electric offensive forces for a number of years, announced his retirement from the NBA on Tuesday after 14 pro seasons.
A free agent after spending last season with the Miami Heat, the 33-year-old power forward/center signed a ceremonial one-day contract with the New York Knicks — the team he joined in 2010 on a five-year, $100 million deal, pledging to lead New York back to NBA prominence before injuries, inconsistency and internal intrigue scuttled those grand plans — so he could announce the end of his NBA playing days.
He was a pretty exciting player to watch during his Suns days. I remember a lot of people saying he was done after that first knee surgery, so it was good to see him come back and actually have a few more All-Star seasons, especially after we'd seen other young stars have their careers derailed by injuries in the not-too-distant past. The play that I always remember is this one, I think in large part due to Stephon Marbury's reaction.