Stoudemire enters Hall of Fame
Amar’e Stoudemire, the American-Israeli basketball star who became a devout convert to Judaism after he retired, was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame last weekend.
The 43-year-old Stoudemire played 14 seasons in the NBA, the first eight with the Phoenix Suns, who retired his No. 32 in 2024. Stoudemire was a six-time All-Star and the 2003 NBA Rookie of the Year; he won a bronze medal with the U.S. team at the 2004 Olympics.
He also played professionally in Israel, where he won two Israeli Basketball Premier League championships, was named an All-Star twice and won the league’s Finals MVP in 2020. He was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame last year. He was granted Israeli citizenship in 2019.
Ever since his mother told him about his family connection to the Hebrew Israelites, who believe they are descended from the ancient Israelites, Stoudemire began reading about Judaism and studying Jewish history. While playing basketball in Israel, Stoudemire began studying for conversion to Judaism . He completed an Orthodox conversion in 2020.