Credit: Arizona Sports
By Jack Borok
Congratulations to International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame member Amar’e Stoudemire on the recent announcement of his induction to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Stoudemire played in the NBA from 2002-2016 with the Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks, and Miami Heat and had an incredibly decorated career. He was the rookie of the year in the 2002-03 season, a six time All-Star, five time All-NBA team member, and has his jersey number #32 retired by the Phoenix Suns.
Credit: Eurohoops
Following his illustrious NBA career, Stoudemire went to play in Israel, where he continued his on-court dominance. He played from 2016-2019 with Hapoel Jerusalem and then spent 2020 with Maccabi Tel Aviv. During his time in Israel, he was a two time Israeli Basketball Premier League All-Star and won two Israeli Basketball Premier League Championships, one in 2017 with Hapoel Jerusalem and one in 2020 with Maccabi Tel Aviv. Stoudemire also took home Israeli Basketball Premier League Finals MVP honors in 2020.
During his time playing in Israel, Amar’e obtained Israeli citizenship and converted to Judaism, adopting the name Yahoshafat Ben Avraham. He was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in the Class of 2025.
Mazel Tov to Amar’e Stoudemire on his incredible achievement and we look forward to celebrating his induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in August!
