Amare Stoudemire

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Lore & Background

Stoudemire's rookie season saw him average 13.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, with a season high of 38 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 30, 2002. He was selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. During the 2004–05 season, he teamed up with point guard Steve Nash 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, he was selected to his first NBA All-Star Game as a reserve forward. Stoudemire and Nash ran a pick-and-roll some have compared to Hall of Famers John Stockton and Karl Malone. In the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, Stoudemire averaged 37 points per game, but the Suns still lost in five games. On October 4, 2005, Stoudemire signed a five-year, $73 million contract with a player option in the final season. Before the 2006–07 season, Stoudemire changed his jersey number from 32 to 1. He finished the 2006–07 regular season averaging 20.4 points and 9.6 rebounds per game and was selected to the All-NBA First Team.

In Their Own Story

The 2007 NBA All-Star Game arrived on February 18, and Stoudemire appeared in his second All-Star Game. He scored 29 points and grabbed 9 rebounds, though he missed out on the MVP award to Kobe Bryant. During the 2007 playoffs, in a series against the San Antonio Spurs, Stoudemire accused Manu Ginóbili and Bruce Bowen of being 'dirty' players. Stoudemire, along with teammate Boris Diaw, was suspended for Game 5 for leaving the bench area after an altercation between teammate Steve Nash and Spurs forward Robert Horry. The Suns lost to the Spurs in six games despite Stoudemire averaging 26.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2 blocks throughout the series.

Reader's Guide

Amar'e Stoudemire played for the Phoenix Suns from 2002 to 2010. He was drafted ninth overall in the 2002 NBA draft as a prep-to-pro player out of Cypress Creek High School in Orlando, Florida. During his tenure, he won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2003, made six NBA All-Star Game appearances, and was named to the All-NBA Team five times, including a first-team selection in 2007. He underwent microfracture surgery on October 18, 2005, due to knee cartilage damage. Stoudemire was inducted into the Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor on March 2, 2024.

Did You Know?

• Stoudemire won the NBA Rookie of the Year award in 2003, becoming the first player drafted out of high school to win the award.
• He changed his jersey number from 32 to 1 before the 2006–07 season.
• Stoudemire recorded a 10-block game against the Utah Jazz during the 2003–04 season, with six blocks in the first quarter alone (both team records).
• He was inducted into the Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor on March 2, 2024.
• In the 2005 Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, Stoudemire averaged 37 points per game.