Ex-NBA star Amar'e Stoudemire starts new career after graduating from Florida police academy

NBA Hall of Famer Amar’e Stoudemire has become a police force after graduating from a Florida police academy.

The former New York Kicks star graduated from the Miami Dade College School of Justice’s Basic Law Enforcement Academy on Wednesday, October 14, 2026.

The Miami Dade College shared the highlights along with snaps of Stoudemire’s graduation on Instagram and wrote, “For Amar’e, this is more than a second career.

Becoming a police officer was a childhood dream, inspired in part by family members who served in law enforcement."

Stoudemire, 43, a six-time NBA All-Star, 2003 Rookie of the Year and newly inducted Basketball Hall of Famer, played for some of the league’s biggest teams, including the Miami Heat.

Stoudemire spent five seasons with the Knicks from 2010 to 2015, saying becoming a police officer was his long dream in an interview with Sports Illustrated: “It’s something I always wanted to do since I was a kid.

“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.”

Stoudemire, a former first round draft pick, underwent rigorous training for 11 months in the academy, which included classroom sessions and military drills.

After starting his career with the Phoenix Suns in 2002, he joined the Knicks in 2010 and went on to play for the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat.

He played 14 NBA seasons, recording 18.9 points and 7.8 rebounds across 846 games, he retired from pro basketball in 2020.