Image by twitter

By David Ian Klein January 26, 2021

Though Amar’e Stoudemire is now part of the coaching staff of the Brooklyn Nets, you won’t see him on the sidelines at the team’s Friday night or Saturday games.

That’s because the NBA team has given the 38-year-old Stoudemire, a recent convert to Judaism, time off from Friday night to Saturday night so that he may observe Shabbat.

Stoudemire revealed the news in an Instagram story.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

In the story, Stoudemire said he would work with the Nets to find ways to begin his coaching career while also maintaining his Orthodox observance of Shabbat, which precludes working from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown.

Stoudemire posted this recently on Instagram: pic.twitter.com/aIFPcWJhlI

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 25, 2021

Fans had wondered how Stoudemire, whose conversion to Judaism was highly publicized, would balance his responsibilities to both the team and his faith.

Before coming to the Nets, Stoudemire had played in Israel for both Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Jerusalem. While in the Holy Land, he studied for his conversion, which he completed in August of 2020, taking on the Biblical name Jehoshaphat.

During his career in the NBA, Stoudemire played for the Phoenix Suns, the New York Knicks and the Dallas Mavericks.

With 72 games scheduled for the NBA’s 2020-2021 season, giving Stoudemire off for the 25 hours of shabbat is not a minor concession. The Nets already have several upcoming games scheduled for Fridays and Saturdays, and that’s not including weekends that may be used for practicing or traveling.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount