Phoenix Suns legend Amar'e Stoudemire joins Miami Police Department
· Yahoo Sports
Phoenix Suns great Amar'e Stoudemire has made a career pivot to become a Miami police officer.
The 43-year-old Hall of Famer graduated from the Miami Dade College (MDC) School of Justice Basic Law Enforcement Academy, per the school's announcement on Wednesday, Oct. 14. Stoudemire also earned the MDC police academy's Harry "Coach" Everett Award for "his contributions to the success of the academy program throughout his training."
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Stoudemire has lived in Miami since he played the final season of his 14-year NBA career with the Miami Heat in 2016.
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Amar’e Stoudemire has graduated from the police academy and will serve with the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department. https://t.co/BcDb9NzBYm
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 15, 2026
"It's something I always wanted to do since I was a kid," Stoudemire told Sports Illustrated about becoming a police officer. "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 said law enforcement "runs in the family" and mentioned several of his relatives who were officers. The next stage will be with the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department's in-house training program, he said.
He retired from basketball as a EuroLeague player with Israel-based team Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2020. Stoudemire's No. 32 jersey was retired in the Suns Ring of Honor in 2024. He was also among the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame's 2026 inductees.
Stoudemire was the Suns' former first-round pick and 2003 Rookie of the Year. He played for the Suns until 2010 and was their All-Star center in the team's influential "7 Seconds or Less" offense during the 2000s.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Suns legend Amar'e Stoudemire joins Miami Police Department