Former New York Knicks star Amar’e Stoudemire has traded the basketball court for a badge.
Stoudemire, 43, graduated from the Miami-Dade Police Academy Wednesday “after months of rigorous training” and will join the county’s school police department.
“Amar’e Stoudemire made his mark on the basketball court. A six-time NBA All-Star, 2003 Rookie of the Year and newly inducted Basketball Hall of Famer, he played for some of the league’s biggest teams, including our very own Miami Heat,” Miami Dade College posted on Instagram, alongside pictures of Stoudemire’s graduation.
“Today, he’s celebrating a very different milestone: graduating from the MDC School of Justice Basic Law Enforcement Academy after months of rigorous training,” the post continued.
“And he’s graduating with special recognition, receiving the Harry ‘Coach’ Everett Award for his contributions to the success of the academy program throughout his training,” the college added.
Stoudemire, who spent five seasons with the Knicks from 2010 to 2015, revealed that becoming a police officer had been a lifelong ambition.
“It’s something I always wanted to do since I was a kid,” the six-time All-Star told Sports Illustrated Wednesday.
“I remember back when I was in grade school, elementary school. They asked you on career day, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ And my initial response was a police officer.”
“It runs in the family. My uncle was a captain. His brother was a deputy. My cousin is a captain. My sister’s in the academy. So, it’s a family tradition, basically,” he added.
Stoudemire, a former first round draft pick, spent nearly 11 months in the academy, which featured classroom sessions and “prime military” training drills that he described as more physically demanding than the NBA.
“Yeah, it was a little bit [more] challenging actually because now I’m running a lot more than I had before,” Stoudemire told the outlet.
“Obviously, in the NBA you run short distances, right? And the police academy, you’re running more long-distance mileage.”
Stoudemire admitted his wife initially had reservations about the career change because of the risks involved.
“My wife at first was a little bit concerned because obviously being a police officer, there’s some danger to it,” he said.
“But if you are well-trained and you understand your policies and procedures, you’re able to somewhat have officer safety, which is very important, and that’s the goal.”
Stoudemire’s latest milestone comes after a turbulent period away from basketball.
In December 2022, he was arrested after allegedly punching and slapping one of his teenage daughters. The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office dropped the misdemeanor charges in January 2023.
His basketball achievements have also received fresh recognition.
In August, Stoudemire was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.
He played 14 NBA seasons, averaging 18.9 points and 7.8 rebounds across 846 games.
After beginning his career with the Phoenix Suns in 2002, he joined the Knicks in 2010 before later stints with the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat.
Stoudemire also played overseas for Hapoel Jerusalem, the Fujian Sturgeons and Maccabi Tel Aviv before retiring from professional basketball in 2020.
