From Miami Heat to Miami Police

When we talk about rookies, the most normal age would be between 19 to 24-years-old.  If things go as planned, they play out their careers until they retire from the sport in their mid-30s with millions of money in the bank.

Upon retirement, they usually transition into coaching, sports broadcasting or perhaps become business entrepreneurs.   But one retired NBA player decided to be a rookie again.

Amar’e Stoudemire was drafted 9th overall by the Phoenix Suns in 2002, the only high school player picked in the first round.   He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2003, beating Yao Ming.  He played 8 seasons with the Suns until 2010 then played for the New York Knicks until 2015.   The following season, Stoudemire played for the Miami Heat, his final NBA season.

The six-time NBA All-Star had career averages of 18.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.  From the NBA, he had stints at the Israeli Premier Basketball League and the Chinese Basketball League.

Identifying with the Black Hebrew Israelites who believed they are connected to the biblical Israelites, Stoudemire converted to Judaism and was granted Israeli citizenship in 2019, going by his Hebrew name Yehoshaphat ben Avraham.   In 2025, he was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.  He is a major shareholder of Hapoel Jerusalem Basketball Club, the team he played with in the IPBL.

Now 43-years-old, Stoudemire, a Florida native, decided to be a rookie again, this time as a police officer.

Graduating from Miami Dade County School of Justice’s Basic Law Enforcement Academy, he got inspiration from his uncle and cousin who were police captains, thus fulfilling a childhood dream.   He will be with the Miami Dade Schools Police Department.  Standing at 6-10, Stoudemire towers above everyone in the department and going undercover would be very hard.

Shaquille O’Neal, another NBA Hall of Famer who also has an interest in law enforcement, was recently named as an honorary FBI Special Agent.  Shaq has been sworn in a deputy officer in several police departments in Florida, Georgia, Arizona and California.

Stoudemire was inducted together with coach Mike D’Antoni into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame last August, joining several Suns luminaries like Steve Nash, Kevin Johnson, Shawn Marion, Tom Chambers and Dan Majerle.

Amar’e, from Miami Heat to Miami Police.