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You played with a lot of trash talkers in the 2000s, man. Does he remind you of any trash talk from that time period, your era? Amare Stoudemire: We had some trash talkers for sure. We had Ron Artest. Everybody calls him Metta World Peace, man. We had the great Kevin Garnett, we had Jermaine O'Neal. I'm trying to think of trash talkers in that day who really brought it every night. But yeah, man, we had some real forceful guys in that 2000s, mid-2000s era.
Q: What is this podcast all about? I saw the Tracy McGrady episode; it was really good. Amare Stoudemire: We're doing this right now, the first season, we're interviewing only Hall of Famers. We're dealing with only legends at the moment, so this is where it starts. What we're doing is, we're tapping into kind of a bit of their understanding of what it means to become a legend. How did they become a legend? What perseverance they went through? What type of challenges they faced? How did they have the perseverance and the mindset to get to where they end up being in the Hall of Fame? Trying to give that message over to the youth as well, so they can see what it takes to be great. That's the mindset here with Amongst Legends.
Q: I want to ask you about the Knicks. Obviously, a big deal with the Knicks winning the championship for the first time in over 50 years. They're getting off to a little bit of a slow start. Your overall thoughts on that? Are you concerned at all about it? Amare Stoudemire: “I'm not concerned. When you are the champions, man, every target is at your back. Every team's gunning for you, so it's tough to kind of get off to a great start the following year. I'm not concerned. I think it's a matter of just kind of locking in and focusing a little bit more, and they'll be okay.”
Q: Is it like they're coming out slow out of the gates because again, they just won the title? It can be hard to stay motivated. Is it one of those things? The East is tougher now with the Sixers stocking up with LeBron James and Jaylen Brown. Amare Stoudemire: “It could be a little bit of all of that. But I think what we most have to look at is that when you win a championship, especially in New York, you have all these different opportunities off the court that take place. “You're filming commercials, you're having these different shows, you're doing these different things. All these events are happening. You’ve got to try to narrow it back down and lock in on basketball because playing in New York, you can get a little bit taken away from the sport with all the activities that go along with being in New York City. But you have to now try to narrow it down back to basketball. Key in, lock in on basketball. “Make it the main priority and build out from there.”
Q: I got to ask you about the Heat, they're off to a really slow start and it doesn't look pretty on the court. What are your thoughts on this Heat team? A lot of people are talking about the Giannis and Bam pairing that it's not working out right now. What is your evaluation of this? Amare Stoudemire: “With the Miami Heat, I know two things for sure. You have a great general, Pat Riley, and you have a great deputy chief in Coach (Erik) Spoelstra. So those two guys are going to come together and figure out the proper game plan to get the team to play cohesively and figure this thing out. The players are going to lock in because they are tired of hearing all the talk about what they can and can't do. So they're going to go into the gym and lock in also. “I'm not worried about the Miami Heat. I think they're going to be able to figure this thing out. They have a great team. I feel like they're a team that can be very competitive in the Eastern Conference. So I'm not concerned with the Heat at all, man. With Bam and Giannis, two great players, they'll figure it out. “They're great players, they're All-Star caliber players. They're gonna figure it out. Trust me.”
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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.
Heat Central: Amar’e Stoudemire shouts out Giannis for being a true competitor which he believes is missing in today’s NBA: “I look at players now and I’m trying to find the competitiveness. When I attacked the rim I don’t care who’s under the rim… I don’t see a lot of guys in today’s game that are taking off on guys and applying dominance. — Hopefully we can find someone that does that. Giannis has that similar game when he attacks the rim. It’s fun to watch but I haven’t really seen a lot of it. (Via @Joe_Sway)
ClutchPoints: Introducing the Hall of Fame class of 2026: -Amar’e Stoudamire -Mike D’antoni -Doc Rivers -Mark Few -Joey Crawford -Candace Parker -Elena Delle Donne -Chamique Holdsclaw LEGENDS 🙏🏽 (via @NBA)
Oh No He Didn't: Amar'e on the Knicks: "In New York in the Garden, there's nothing like it. When you hear MVP chants every night, they're chanting your name. The arena is rocking. New York is the No. 1 place to play. And I knew that as a player, but before I got there, no one else wanted to go to New York. So that's why I was like, the Knicks are back, and we're gonna do this. And so it's good to see those guys winning that championship this year in 2026"
It’s well documented how bad the Suns wanted you. How did that help you buy into the Seven Seconds or Less offense? Amar'e Stoudemire: I spoke to Coach Mike D’Antoni today, and he was like, “Amar’e, when I first mentioned the new offense to you, you really didn’t care. Like you wasn’t upset about the change that we’re making playing you at center.” And so, I was ready to go, man. I think you know, for us, I always looked at my coaches as leaders, as leadership, and so whatever they feel is the best for the team, but I was always willing to sacrifice or make that happen. So when Coach D’Antoni mentioned we’re going to play this style of basketball, I was like, all right, cool, let’s go. I can adapt to any type of basketball game or play, and so I was ready from the start.
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Was there a moment where it felt everything clicked? Amar'e Stoudemire: In training camp, when we got Steve Nash. When Steve came back to Phoenix and we started training camp, we all were in top shape, ready to go. And from training camp, we saw something special. We saw the style of play and the speed we were playing with. I was at my athleticism peak, and we had Shawn Marion, who was a brilliant floor runner and Swiss Army knife type of player, and Nash was the pass first guy who could get the ball to whoever was hot. So we took that mentality and ran with it. And I think I was surprised by how good we were.
Colangelo thought Amare Stoudemire’s history said something about his mental toughness and determination. The more he was around Stoudemire, the more he liked him. At his pre-draft workout in Phoenix, Stoudemire — 6-feet-9 ½ inches and 246 pounds — was so aggressive that he knocked out an opponent’s teeth on a play near the rim. “He didn’t hit many midrange shots and had no 3-point accuracy to speak of, but he just had something about him,” Bryan Colangelo, the Suns’ general manager and Colangelo’s son, wrote in an email to The Athletic. “Charisma, curiosity, ferocity are words that come to mind. He was a live wire that brought unusual energy to a normally tense and apprehensive environment. These young men are literally trying out and competing for their life’s dream. Somehow Amar’e was immune to the pressure and appeared unfazed, even as an 18-year-old high schooler among some older and so-called wiser prospects. He literally had the gym mesmerized.”
Jacobsen found Amare Stoudemire engaging. He asked if he had leaned toward a particular college before entering the draft. Stoudemire told him he probably would’ve played for John Calipari at Memphis. Still, Jacobsen couldn’t help but wonder how this would translate. Is this guy going to be in for a rude awakening? Once practice started, Jacobsen realized he need not worry. “It doesn’t take more than 10 minutes, man,” he said. “And we have Shawn Marion, whose nickname is The Matrix. One of the freakier athletes that you will find in the NBA at the time. And Amar’e Stoudemire is freakier than even The Matrix. He’s more powerful. He’s longer. And he finishes around the rim stronger than even Shawn Marion, who’s an NBA All-Star. Within one practice, I’m like, ‘Whoa. The physical part is not going to be this person’s issue.'”
Frum TikTok: Amar'e Stoudemire congratulates the Knicks on winning the Championship. 🏆