Bursting onto the NBA scene in 2002-2003 Amar’e Stoudemire made a big impact, not just on the Phoenix Suns but also the basketball world.
In a year where every camera was trained squarely on a 7’6” Chinese giant by the name of Yao Ming, Amar’e was steadily doing his work in Phoenix and would end up taking home the Rookie of Year award that season.
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Coming out of high school he was an after-thought to many people. He was not really looked at as a possible rookie of the year candidate, but quietly he was having a great season laying in every game for the Suns that year.
He started in 71 of those 82 and put up numbers of 13.5 points per game and 11 rebounds. Helping the Suns make the playoffs with the eighth seed that year in that first playoff series he had the unenviable task of taking on Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs in the first round.
The Suns would ultimately fall to the Spurs – who went on to be Champions – four games to two Amar’e showed that he was capable of matching it with the big boys in the NBA.
Stoudemire in those early years will be remembered as the guy at the end of Steve Nash’s pick and roll and the high flyer of the Suns’ much-feared high-scoring outfit. Those Suns would go on a tear, dominating the league in a very similar way to the current Golden State Warriors.
Stoudemire was a high flying athletic marvel a big man with not just speed but footwork. While you had Tim Duncan working his finesse moves and Dirk Nowitzki scoring jump shots from everywhere, Stoudemire was dominating the glass with impressive dunks night in and night out.
In his third season the Suns would win 62 games to lead the league and take the number one seed in the playoffs. They made it all the way to the Western Conference finals before matching up with the constant thorn in their side, San Antonio. Amar’e launched himself to the stratosphere with that playoff series and although they lost in five games it was his numbers against all-time great Tim Duncan that would impress everyone.
Scoring no less than 31 points and reaching a high of 42 he was dominating Duncan – who was having a fairly good series himself – finishing the series with a scoring average of 37.
His numbers for the Suns in following years would be up and down as he was curtailed by injuries in a few of those years. That included a knee injury in the 05-06 season which allowed him to only play in three games for the year.
His bounce back from each injury though was incredible and he had barely lost a step upon the returns. The Suns would continue making the playoffs but would again be at the mercy of the Spurs who would continually knock them out of the playoffs.
Midway through the 2008 season Stoudemire would be joined on the team by Shaquille O’Neal playing well together the team again made the playoffs but again would be bundled out by the Spurs. In the 2009-2010 season Stoudemire was subject to trade talk.
He was linked to a deal that would send him to the LeBron James-led Cavaliers however the deal never went through. The deal at the time centred around Stoudemire and Cavaliers big man JJ Hickson, the Cavaliers though felt Hickson would end up being the better player so they said no to the trade.
Stoudemire played his last game as a Sun that year after they were bundled out of the playoffs by the Los Angeles Lakers. He left the Suns fourth in franchise history in scoring third in rebounds, free throws made and attempted, fifth in blocked shots and had single-game records of most consecutive free throws in a game (20) and blocked shots in a game (10).
In his free agency he moved to the New York Knicks on a five-year $99.7 million contract. With the return to the Knicks he would be united with his former Phoenix Suns coach Mike D’Antoni. A midseason trade with the Nuggets brought the Knicks another marquee player in Carmelo Anthony. That season would go down as one the best of his career.
After the NBA lockout Stoudemire had a less than stellar season not being named to the NBA all-star squad and suffering not only from family tragedies but also an assortment of injuries. He was also struggling with his weight which he had not been able to remove since the lockout had started, but with a program he got his weight down and started to produce some much better stats.
The Knicks made the playoffs that year but would be facing the Heat in the semi-finals. After a lacklustre game two, Stoudemire made headlines for punching a fire extinguisher box in the locker rooms causing him to cut his hand. Game 4 would be a highlight for the Knicks that year as they won their first playoff game in 13 attempts however they would not win another game.
Injuries again would stifle Stoudemire the following year and he was to become some sort of a joke among many fans due to his big contract and lack of playing time. His final three seasons with the Knicks would be filled with injuries and he was eventually waived by them. Dallas would quickly sign him up for the remainder of the season but he would suit up just 23 times for the Mavericks and was let go at seasons end.
He then signed for the Miami Heat on a one-year deal. He played only 33 games for Miami only averaging five points a game, although he did have some high points throughout the season and starting in a few games he would never reach the lofty highs of his Suns years. After the season ended he was again a free agent.
Stoudemire was pushing for a new contract with his old team Phoenix so he could play one more season with the team but when they knocked back the offer he decided to sign a one-day contract with New York so he could retire as a Knick.
His career may have peaked at a very young age and injuries certainly took a toll on his career. He suffered everything from knee injuries to injuries to the eye – resulting in him playing with goggles for a portion of his career – and a few other spots in between.
He may be remembered now more for the contract New York gave him in that 2010 season, but many NBA fans will still reminisce on those playoff series against the Spurs and in particular against Tim Duncan.
His athleticism speed and abilities in his Suns days were unbelievable to see and the way he could play as a man that big. His nickname was ‘STAT’ short for ‘standing tall and talented’ and in those early years that is exactly what he was.
Stoudemire leaves the game as a 6x NBA All Star, 1x All NBA first team, 4x All NBA second team, rookie of the year and All Rookie first team. He was also a member of the 2004 Team USA squad that won bronze in Athens and the 2007 FIBA America’s gold medal winning team.
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