Former Phoenix Suns star Amar’e Stoudemire had one of the best years with the team. However, he left the franchise in 2010, after he opted out of his contract and joined the New York Knicks. On the new edition of “The OGs Show,” Stoudemire revealed that he didn’t want to leave the team that drafted him.
Stoudemire played for the Suns for eight seasons, forming a dynamic duo with Canadian star Steve Nash. The big man was also the biggest reason why head coach Mike D’Antoni’s “Seven Seconds or Less” offense worked.
Credit: AP Photo
“It was time,” Stoudemire said about his decision to move to New York. “But I really wasn’t looking forward to leaving. I wanted to stay in Phoenix. I just bought a crib, had a whole situation set up.”
“I really wasn’t looking forward to leaving” pic.twitter.com/Hya8RX8thd
— The OGs Show (@theOGsShow) December 19, 2024
After leaving the Suns, Stoudemire had one more All-Star season with the Knicks. He averaged 25.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists in his first season in New York before injuries started to consume his career.
The scoring big man was a five-time All-Star and a four-time All-NBA player during his stint with the Suns. His partnership with Nash and other elite guards allowed him to average 21.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists.
Former Phoenix Suns center chooses his Mount Rushmore of power forwards
At the height of Stoudemire’s career with the Phoenix Suns, he was battling against some of the top power forwards in the league. Although he’s primarily a power forward, he was used as a center for D’Antoni’s system, making him one of the earliest undersized big men.
Even at the center spot, he had memorable games against the likes of Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard. In his appearance at Udonis Haslem’s show, he gave his Mount Rushmore of power forwards.
“I’m going with Tim Duncan, Charles Barkley, Kevin Garnett and I’m going with — I will probably have to go with Dirk [Nowitzki]. Because Karl Malone was good, but I don’t know. He wasn’t as good as Dirk, in my opinion. Moses Malone was solid but I think was also center at times.”
Do you agree with Stoudemire’s choices? pic.twitter.com/TgX936Ua6n
— The OGs Show (@theOGsShow) December 19, 2024
He also cited that he had a hard time playing against teams like the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers, especially on the defensive end.
“I saw something when Stephen A. was saying like we could’ve brought in Thibodeau as a coach to bring in some defense but we hired Mike D’Antoni’s brother. I’m like, ‘Damn, if I’d known that, I would’ve pushed for having Thibodeau to play some defense.”
“I think playing against the Spurs and the Lakers with Kobe and Shaq and these guys, if you can’t play defense, it’s gonna be hard to win the championship.”
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
