Stoudemire in Hall of Fame induction speech: "I studied Torah in secret for 20 years"

Amar'e Stoudemire was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame tonight (between Saturday and Sunday) at an event held in Springfield, Massachusetts, and provided, among other things, a reference to his time in Israel and the spiritual journey he underwent.

"For 20 years I studied Torah and the Tanakh in secret," shared Amar'e. "I wanted to reach a place where I could live and also play, and after my last game in a Miami uniform, I decided to move to Israel."

Amar'e described the change he underwent when he arrived in the country, the smaller arenas, traveling on team buses after being accustomed to private jets: "I was there for a reason. My family and I enjoyed the time there." Amar'e also addressed his time in Tel Aviv, when he played for Maccabi Tel Aviv - which was the last team of his career: "I lived in Tel Aviv, at the foot of the Mediterranean coast, and lived the dream. It was wonderful and beautiful. I enjoyed it very much there and finished my career with a championship and the Finals MVP title."

Amar'e also provided a moment of perfect closure with the New York Knicks. A little over two months after the club won the NBA championship, the star who brought the team back to center stage at the beginning of the last decade received the greatest recognition of his career. In the summer of 2010, when he was 27 and at the peak of his career, he chose to come to New York after the Knicks finished the season with a 29:53 record. At that time, big stars tended to stay away from the Knicks due to the lack of professional and managerial stability in the club. Stoudemire had already established himself as one of the best big men in the NBA while playing for Phoenix.

"You walked into the Garden when no one else wanted to go there, and you told the whole league that the Knicks were back," said Carmelo Anthony in a tribute video released by the club.

Stoudemire played for four seasons for New York, and the Knicks reached the playoffs in each of his first three seasons with the team — after in the ten seasons preceding his arrival, the team managed to reach the postseason only twice.

"New York, the Garden - there is nothing that compares to it," said Stoudemire in his Hall of Fame speech. "When you hear MVP chants every night, they are calling your name, the arena is shaking, and New York is the number one place to play. I know that as a player. But before I got there, no one else wanted to come to New York. So I said to myself: 'The Knicks are back, and we are going to do this.'"

The closure was also perfect because Mike D'Antoni, who coached Stoudemire in both Phoenix and New York, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in the same class. D'Antoni and Stoudemire were part of the unforgettable Phoenix team, with an offensive and fast style of play whose influence is still felt today. Amar'e's career included impressive achievements: six All-Star appearances, winning the Rookie of the Year award, one selection to the All-NBA First Team, and four selections to the All-NBA Second Team. Along with Stoudemire and D'Antoni, the 2026 Hall of Fame class also included Doc Rivers, Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne, Chamique Holdsclaw, Mark Few, and referee Joey Crawford.