NBA Rumors: Former All-Star To Pursue NBA Comeback

Veteran and former All-Star Amare Stoudemire expressed his intentions to make a comeback to the NBA, a report said. After a short stint with the Fujian Sturgeons in the Chinese Basketball Association, the 37-year-old is reportedly back in the United States where he continues to work on his game in a serious attempt to crack a roster spot in any of the 30 teams in the league.

Marc Stein of New York Times reported the rumor on Saturday, revealing that the 14-year NBA vet is back home in South Florida after he and his family got ill at ease with the distance between his playing duties in China and the States. Before flying back home, Stoudemire made sure to leave an imprint in the Chinese league after he posted 33 points and 17 rebounds in his last game for the Sturgeons.

Before his stint in China, the 2003 NBA Rookie of the Year had played for Hapoel Jerusalem in Israel where he traces his roots from. He played in the country from 2016-2017 and 2018-2019 where he won several championships and was named an All-Star twice.

Amare Stoudemire has played for four different NBA teams since 2002 with his last being with the Miami Heat in the 2015-2016 season. After his first season in the Israeli league, the former All-NBA First Team member joined Ice Cube’s Big 3 in 2018 where he played and served as a co-captain of team Tri-State.

In one of his post-game interviews in the Big 3, Stoudemire confirmed to CBS Sports that he really intends to return to the NBA, saying that he continues to work to be in tip-top shape after his last coach, Erik Spoelstra of the Heat, challenged him to keep focused on his conditioning. “I've been able to get down in weight and increased cardio. I feel great,” he said. “I hope that I’ll be there to join the guys,” he ended after being asked about his potential comeback.