National Basketball Association

Amar'e Stoudemire apparently hasn't retired quite yet

Published Nov. 15, 2016 3:13 p.m. ET

Dan Graf

When Amar'e Stoudemire announced Tuesday that he’d retire after signing a one-day contract a New York Knick, apparently he meant only that he was retiring from the NBA.

On Sunday, international basketball writer David Pick reported that Stoudemire has agreed to play next season for Hapoel Jerusalem, a team he has been a part-owner of since 2013.

Amar'e Stoudemire agreed to deal with co-owned Hapoel Jerusalem to become best-ever NBA star in Israel. https://t.co/FbRb03vzPJ
— David Pick (@IAmDPick) July 31, 2016

Stoudemire has visited Israel in the past and has said he has Jewish ancestry on his mother’s side. He also is part of a joint initiative between the Omri Casspi Foundation and NBA Cares that is aimed at presenting Israel in a positive light, according to the Jerusalem Post.

Stoudemire, 33, finished his 14-year NBA career with the Miami Heat last season, averaging 5.8 points and 4.3 rebounds in 14.7 minutes per game. He was with the Knicks from 2011-2015 before spending the second half of the 2014-15 season with the Dallas Mavericks.

Stoudemire had his best years with the Phoenix Suns, the team that drafted him ninth overall in 2002. He averaged more than 20 points in six of eight seasons with the Suns and was one of the league’s most explosive big men while Phoenix played in three Western Conference finals in a six-year span. Knee injuries and age eventually robbed him of that explosiveness, but he was a six-time All-Star and retired with career averages of 18.9 points and 7.8 rebounds.