Amar'e Stoudemire
Amar'e Stoudemire
2003 NBA Rookie of the Year and 6-time NBA All-Star who was drafted 9th overall by the Phoenix Suns in 2002, straight out of high school. After eight productive years in Phoenix, he signed with the New York Knicks in 2010, then after agreeing on a buyout with the team in 2015, he signed with the Dallas Mavericks.
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBasketball Player
Date of Birth16 November 1982
CityLake Wales, FL
CountryUnited States of America
Once I get back to the motion of jogging and running, we're getting close. My thing is I just want to make sure I'm not feeling any pain regardless of what the MRI says. It's still up to me on how I feel and the pain tolerance.
I've thought about (not coming back this season) more this week than I have. Every time I play hard, the next day there is a lot of pain and discomfort. If this was my left knee, I probably would have played (by now). But my right knee is hurting more than my left, and I didn't count on that.
It's getting close. My thing is still being patient and making sure the work I do, I do 100 percent and do it perfectly so I can get a perfect healing. Once I start feeling less pain and less discomfort, I'll get more anxious to want to play, but I'm not going to push myself.
I didn't think it was that bad when I was playing in the playoffs or working out this summer. But it was getting worse and worse (at camp two-a-days last week). I'm glad we took care of it early in my career. I'm going to come back 110 percent. I won't have the pain anymore. I will have the same aggressiveness and have even more explosiveness.
I'm not a religious person; I'm more of a spiritual person, so I follow the rules of the Bible that coordinate with and connect with the Hebrew culture.
I knew I was good because I was the only 14-year-old who could dunk backward.
Education is very important, and I understand that.
The N.B.A. is not an easy job. As you get older, you play this game for 82 games a year, and you play 11 or 12 years, your body tends to break down.
I'm real close. I may catch you by surprise one of these days.
I'm pretty fatigued. Overall, I feel pretty good. There's still a little discomfort. I'm just seeing what it takes to get back to 100 percent.
I never had a doubt that I would make it to the NBA, even when I wasn't playing.
I've had no shellfish and no pork for quite some time.
It's hard sitting back and watching these guys.
Shawn Kemp was the player that I grew up watching, when he was with the SuperSonics.