Amar'e Stoudemire has been adamant about an NBA return since retiring in 2016. In fact, just a few days ago, he posted an Instagram photo of his new look with the hashtag #NBAReturn.
But for now, the former Phoenix Suns center will have to make do with being a member of the BIG3 alongside fellow ex-NBA players Jermaine O'Neal and Nate Robinson as Tri-State co-captain.
The 6-foot-11 center certainly picked up where he left off when we last saw him, as his recent highlight includes a familiar throw down on two defenders after a point guard sucked in the defense.
Amar’e Stoudemire still has ABSOLUTELY NO CHILL.
🎥: @thebig3, @FS1 pic.twitter.com/GnQir604RP
— 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 (@sportingnews) July 14, 2018
Sure, Nate is no Steve Nash, and the vicious posters are few and far between ever since he kept bouncing around the league as a backup center, but that dunk is still vintage Amar'e (or Amare as we knew him then).
Stoudemire last played for the Miami Heat in 2016 before announcing his NBA retirement and moving to Israel to play for Hapoel Jerusalem. He then announced that he's retiring from basketball for good, only to later be revealed months later to be suiting up for the BIG3's second season — as well as making his intentions of returning to The Association next year as his goal.
It's highly unlikely that there's a market for the 35-year-old given his age and the rapid movement towards spacing, defensive versatility, and dwindling size among big men, but his determination is definitely inspirational. Maybe a team is in need of a third-string center and could use the occasional dunk or two for a change of pace.