NBA Rumors: Amar’e Stoudemire Signs With New York Knicks, Possibly Retiring

Since it is the top professional basketball league in the world, NBA players know that they need to be at a certain level if they want to stick around. According to ESPN, Amar’e Stoudemire is signing with the New York Knicks and retiring from the league. His future in basketball still remains up in the air, however.

Upon signing an honorary contract with the New York Knicks and thanking those involved with the organization over the years, Amar’e Stoudemire revealed what the franchise means to him. The 6-foot-10 power forward stated that he signed with the Knicks as a free agent because he wanted to help revitalize the organization.

There was a little bit of confusion among NBA fans as soon as it was revealed that Amar’e Stoudemire had chosen to retire as a member of the New York Knicks. Many felt that he would have done so as a member of the Phoenix Suns since he spent more time playing with that franchise, but the belief is that Stoudemire just enjoyed his time with the Knicks more.

BREAKING: Amar’e Stoudemire signs one-day contract and announces retirement with Knicks pic.twitter.com/o7F8zYFADv

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 26, 2016

Throughout his 14 year career in the NBA, Amar’e Stoudemire spent time with four separate teams. In addition to the Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks, the Florida native also played for the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks during the twilight years of his career in the National Basketball Association.

While Amar’e Stoudemire is retiring from the NBA, he might not be done playing basketball professionally. The 33-year-old is contemplating offers from overseas. There apparently is a very lucrative offer from a team in China. Plus, Stoudemire might end up playing for a team in Israel that he has ownership in.

Last summer, Amar’e Stoudemire decided to chase an NBA Championship. His caveat was that he wanted to be a part of the rotation as opposed to being someone who is just along for the ride. After looking around the league, Stoudemire decided that it would be best to sign a one-year minimum contract with the Miami Heat.

For the first couple of months with the Miami Heat, Amar’e Stoudemire was not really happy with his decision. He barely made it onto the court, as Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra focused on Chris Bosh and Hassan Whiteside. It was not until Whiteside went down with an injury that Stoudemire joined the rotation.

When Hassan Whiteside made his return from injury, many believed that Erik Spoelstra was going to send Amar’e Stoudemire back to the end of the bench. However, Spoelstra decided to stick with Stoudemire. A part of that was because Stoudemire played solidly, but the other part was that Spoelstra wanted to send a message to Whiteside.

Things changed for Amar’e Stoudemire in the NBA Playoffs. During the series between the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets, Stoudemire saw his playing time being taken away from him. The veteran big man sat out the final three games. Stoudemire also found himself relegated to the bench during the series against the Toronto Raptors.

Having played in the NBA for so many seasons, Amar’e Stoudemire feels that has earned the right to speak his mind. After the Miami Heat were eliminated from the playoffs, the former Rookie of the Year expressed his dissatisfaction with the playing time that he received, feeling that he could have been of more use.

Regardless of what Amar’e Stoudemire decides to do with his professional basketball career after retiring from the NBA, he can some day walk away completely from the game with his head held high. Injuries affected him, but Stoudemire still had a tremendous run.

[Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images]