Jewish basketball legend Amar’e Stoudemire to be inducted into Basketball Hall of Fame
Stoudemire converted to Judaism and played in Israel after retiring from the NBA
Basketball player Amar’e Stoudemire talks to press during a reception launching Stoudemire Wines held by the Jewish National Fund at Ronald S. Lauder JNF House, Feb. 20, 2018 in New York City. Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for Stoudemire Wines
(JTA) — Amar’e Stoudemire, the American-Israeli basketball star who became a devout convert to Judaism after retiring, is reportedly headed to the hall of fame.
Stoudemire will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026 alongside Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers and WNBA legends Candace Parker and Elena Delle Donne, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, a top NBA reporter.
The 43-year-old Stoudemire played 14 seasons in the NBA, the first eight with the Phoenix Suns, who retired his No. 32 in 2024. Stoudemire was a six-time All-Star, the 2003 NBA Rookie of the Year and won a bronze medal with the U.S. team at the 2004 Olympics.
He also played professionally in Israel, where he won two Israeli Basketball Premier League championships, was named an All-Star twice and won the league’s Finals MVP in 2020. He was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame last year.
Stoudemire, who formally converted to Judaism in 2020, has been vocal about his affiliation with Black Hebrew Israelites, a movement whose core belief is that African Americans are the genealogical descendants of the ancient Israelites. He has also coached at the Maccabiah Games and owns a line of kosher wine.
Stoudemire left his assistant coaching job with the Brooklyn Nets in 2022 after saying the role interfered with his Shabbat observance. Stoudemire, whose name on Instagram is “amareisrael,” frequently posts on social media about studying the Talmud and other Jewish texts.
Stoudemire joins a lineage of Jewish basketball icons in the Hall of Fame, including Sue Bird, who was inducted last year, Nancy Lieberman, Nat Holman, Barney Sedran, Max Friedman and Dolph Schayes — the only other Jewish player to have his number retired in the NBA.
Non-players include coaches Red Auerbach and Harry Litwack, Harlem Globetrotters founder Abe Saperstein, coach and executive Eddie Gottlieb, the NBA’s first de facto commissioner Maurice Podoloff and referee Dave Tobey. Senda Berenson Abbott, a pioneer of women’s basketball, became the first woman inducted into the hall in 1985.
The official announcement for the Hall of Fame class is April 4, and the induction will take place the weekend of Aug. 14.
This article originally appeared on JTA.org.
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