"There's divide in locker room" - 6x NBA All-Star reveals reason behind switching from Knicks to Mavs during Phil Jackson era
Former NBA All-Star Amar'e Stoudemire appeared on the Sept. 18 episode of "The Garden Party" podcast, hosted by New York Knicks super fan and movie director Benny Safdie. During the episode, he discussed his tenure with the Knicks and the unfulfilled promise of success, specifically highlighting his time alongside Carmelo Anthony.
Stoudemire also opened up about his departure from the Knicks, revealing an internal divide in the locker room and disagreements with Coach Phil Jackson's coaching methods.
The six-time NBA All-Star claimed he was compelled to leave the Knicks and join the Dallas Mavericks for those same reasons.
"Look, I gotta get outta here. We won like 17 games. I can't stick around with this. Nobody wants to buy into the triangle offense. There's a divide in the locker room." (23:30)
Amar'e Stoudemire's time in New York was marked by brief flashes of brilliance, but he was consistently hampered by injuries. After signing a five-year, $99.7 million contract in July 2010, he was touted as the centerpiece of the team's efforts to revive its fortunes, following many years of struggle. Having whiffed on marquee free agents like LeBron James and Dwyane Wade during the summer, Stoudemire was seen as an ideal consolation for Knicks fans.
In 2011, he was paired with All-Star Carmelo Anthony, who had recently forced his way out of the Denver Nuggets. The move aimed to create a formidable two-man duo capable of leading the Knicks deep into the NBA playoffs. However, the initial success was limited, and they never really gained enough momentum to propel them into championship contention.
Why did Amar'e Stoudemire retire with the Knicks?
Amar'e Stoudemire retired with the New York Knicks, rather than the Phoenix Suns, where he spent the most fruitful years of his NBA career playing alongside Steve Nash in the iconic "Seven Seconds or Less" offense. He wanted to retire as a New York legend, citing the sense of belonging and association he felt from the James Dolan-led organization and the fans in Madison Square Garden.
Stoudemire later expressed regrets about not retiring with the Phoenix Suns, but explained,
"In the last two years, I made a phone call to Phoenix, but I wasn't getting a positive response. I didn't want to beg to Phoenix. My heart was in two places, Phoenix and New York. I just went where I wanted."
Tensions between Amar'e Stoudemire and the Suns seem to have thawed since and he had his #32 jersey retired and was given the Suns Ring of Honor in March 2024.
Stoudemire was positive when recalling his time and impact with the New York Knicks.
"I came to New York to help revitalize the franchise, and we did just that," he said, despite lacking playoff success.
Amar'e Stoudemire had several memorable stretches of play with the Knicks. In his first season, he averaged 25.3 points and 9.1 rebounds, earned a spot on the All-NBA Second Team, and led the New York Knicks to the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
However, chronic knee injuries held him back from becoming a consistently great presence for the New York Knicks. For instance, during the 2012-2013 NBA season, he played only 29 games and had to transition from a starting role to a bench role. He still showed signs of his earlier self when he played extensively, such as in the 2013-2014 season, where he managed to play 65 games, average 11.9 points (55.7% from the field) and 4.9 rebounds per game.
Stoudemire, a rare former NBA player to have converted to Judaism, finished his NBA career after being waived by the Knicks in February 2015. He later signed with the Dallas Mavericks and finished his basketball career playing in the Israeli League. He also played one season in the Big 3 league as a co-captain of the Tri-State team.
During his time in Israel, Amar'e Stoudemire won two Israeli Basketball Premier League titles and was named the Israeli Basketball Premier League Finals MVP in his final season with Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2020.