Amar’e Stoudemire’s Amar’e Stoudemire police academy graduation became official Wednesday when the Basketball Hall of Famer completed training at the Miami-Dade Police Academy. Stoudemire, 43, will join the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department after spending nearly 11 months in the program, according to the New York Post.
The former Knicks and Suns big man also received the Harry ‘Coach’ Everett Award for his contributions to the academy program, the Post reported.
The Main Development
Stoudemire told Sports Illustrated Wednesday that law enforcement had been a goal since childhood. “It’s something I always wanted to do since I was a kid,” Stoudemire said. “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.”
The training combined classroom instruction with military-style drills, and Stoudemire said the physical demands caught him off guard even after 14 years as a professional athlete. “Yeah, it was a little bit more challenging actually because now I’m running a lot more than I had before,” he said. “Obviously, in the NBA you run short distances, right? And the police academy, you’re running more long-distance mileage.”
What It Means
Law enforcement runs through Stoudemire’s family, a fact he said shaped his decision to enter the academy. “It runs in the family,” he said. “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.”
His wife was not immediately on board with the career shift, Stoudemire said, citing the risks that come with police work. “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.”
Career Background
Stoudemire built his basketball resume over 14 NBA seasons, starting with the Phoenix Suns in 2002 and winning Rookie of the Year honors in 2003. He made six All-Star teams and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in August.
He spent five seasons with the Knicks from 2010 to 2015 before later stints with the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat, according to Bleacher Report. He also played overseas for Hapoel Jerusalem, the Fujian Sturgeons and Maccabi Tel Aviv before retiring from professional basketball in 2020.
What’s Next
Stoudemire is set to begin his new role with the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department following his graduation. No timeline for his first assignment has been announced.
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