From low post to the police force: Stoudemire graduates from MDC police academy

Ten years ago, Amar’e Stoudemire played the last season of his NBA career on the Miami Heat, anchoring the team as a veteran paint enforcer.

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Now, he’s among the newest members of law enforcement in Miami.

Stoudemire, 43, just graduated from Miami Dade College School of Justice’s Basic Law Enforcement Academy and will serve in the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department.

Stoudemire, a Lake Wales native, stepped away from professional basketball in 2020 and has had a home in Miami for several years.

“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. Now, he will begin a new chapter as a police officer with the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department, giving back to our community and serving as a positive influence for the next generation,” Miami Dade College wrote in a social media post.

Best known for his multiyear tenures the New York Knicks and the Phoenix Suns, where he ran an famous pick-and-roll with former MVP guard Steve Nash, Stoudemire averaged 18.9 points and 7.8 rebounds throughout his NBA career.

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He is a six-time NBA all-star and was a member of this year’s class of inductees into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

In an interview with Sports illustrated this week, Stoudemire told the outlet he has always been interested in law enforcement.

“It runs in the family. My uncle was a captain. His brother was a deputy. My cousin is a captain. My sister’s in the academy. So, it’s a family tradition, basically,” Stoudemire told the outlet.

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