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Cover Story By: Zack Simon Growing Deep Amare Stoudemire’s heart, and his desire to give back to kids in need, are as impressive and unique as his athletic ability. |
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In the spring of 2002, Planet Orange was floating around some galaxy having yet to be discovered. The Suns were coming off a lackluster end to a lousy season. They played a brand of ball that wasn’t that entertaining, tickets to games were easy to get, and the only thing for fans to really look forward to was the upcoming draft, where the Suns would be picking ninth and hopefully landing someone who could help turn things around. Little did everyone know that while most of the attention that draft went to the big fella from China, Yao Ming (the eventual number-one pick), the Suns were able to land exactly the player they wanted. He was 19 years old, a ferocious dunker and raw talent from a Florida high school, with a unique name and a powerful and athletic game. But most importantly, what impressed everybody who met Amare Stoudemire at his first press conference on his first day in Phoenix was the unbelievable poise and maturity level he had. There was no entourage. No posse. No attitude. Just a respectful young man who appreciated his God-given gifts and wanted to use them to become one of the greatest players the game has seen. "I knew him from the day he came to Arizona," his very close friend and realtor David Khalaj told POST. "And since I’ve known him and seen him grow as a person, I can truly say he’s only gotten better. Not only in playing ability but also his personality. He’s so respectful. He’s an incredible human being, and if this man can put a smile on your face, he will. But what a lot of people don’t know about Amare is just how giving he is. He’s involved in so many charities that people simply have no idea of." Amare Stoudemire has grown, literally and figuratively since he made Arizona his home and started destroying rims around the league. He’s gone from being an unproven rookie to one of the top stars in the league, in performance, marketability and Q-Rating. He’s experienced so much that it’s really hard to believe he’s only 25 years old and still hasn’t hit his prime. When he entered the NBA, Amare was not afraid to tell people he wanted to be the best player the league has ever seen. He verbalizes his goals a little differently now, but the end result might not be that much different. "I want to reach my full potential. If that means the best ever, fine, I’ll go wherever my talent takes me. I just want to be able to say I reached my full potential as a basketball player and person." He’s well on his way. And you better believe that touching other people, helping them, giving them hope, is what really drives Amare when he’s not driving by helpless defenders for another patented gravity-defying dunk. He puts not only his money, but just as importantly, his time where his mouth is. Being a well-rounded person is more important to this unique superstar than being a well-rounded player, although with Amare, you do get both. "The primary direction of my foundation (Each One, Teach One Foundation) is to reach out and help kids in need. It’s where my passion is and where I feel I can make the biggest impact. My foundation is based on education. I want kids in poverty to understand just how important education is before it’s too late for them, so my goal is to reach those kids as soon as possible so we can make this a better world." Amare has the means to just throw money at problems like some athletes do, but where’s the true satisfaction in that? Amare has lived the life of the kids he’s helping, and that’s why he is there for them now, to help give them hope that they too will have a chance in life. "Just writing a check is too easy. But to be there standing in the flesh and talking to them, and trying to reach them in a physical and mental aspect, that’s how we’re going to be able to change the world, by reaching out and touching them, and most importantly, helping them grow and educate themselves." How many 25-year-olds talk like that and really mean it? That’s right, not many. "Amare has been an incredible athlete to work with because of his genuine desire to use his fame to help others," said Jane Yin, who works directly with Amare in his charitable causes. "He doesn’t just sign on to charity projects for the sake of it, he has deep interest in them. This past holiday season, he came up with an idea to dress up as STAT-o-Claus, his rendition of Santa Claus, and give gifts and food to 400 unsuspecting families and 150 children, whom he sought out himself," she added. Amare is an A-list NBA superstar, which means there is somebody wanting something from him almost every second of the day. Seriously, if you knew the demands on an elite athlete’s time, it would make your head spin and make you want to take a nap for a month. To make a difference in a community, and have a powerful and effective foundation, it has to be a priority, because Amare sure could be doing other things with his time. "I have a vision, and whatever my vision is, I lay that out for the key people in my foundation, and then we formulate a plan and execute it. The big thing is me being concise with what I want to accomplish and who I want to reach, and then we go from there," Amare explained. There’s one direction Amare is going – up. This coming year, 2008, is going to be an incredible year on a lot of fronts. His new Nike shoe, Stat 2, is being sold at Foot Lockers. He hopes his playoff run with the Suns goes deep into June. Plus, there’s a little thing called the Summer Olympics coming up this summer in China, where Amare’s brand and global appeal is going to simply blow up. He’s a megastar in Phoenix: "There are not too many places I can go without fans wanting an autograph, or wanting to shake hands and say hi, but that is part of the territory. Fans appreciate what I do, and I enjoy meeting them." Nationally, because of his endorsement deals with Powerade, Nike and Sony, and his status among the elite of NBA superstars, it’s hard for Amare to walk around too many cities and not have people mob him. And even on a worldwide level now, pre-Olympics, when Amare travels to foreign lands, people definitely know who he is. "The more exposure you get as a player, the more attention comes with it. Even overseas, Italy, Germany, Turkey, fans knew me when I traveled there. They knew my name, knew my stats, they would call out my name and want to meet me." Thanks to Sony’s popular game NBA 08, which Amare is on the cover of for the second time, fans not only can meet Amare, but they can be Amare. Oh, and if you’re wondering if it gets old playing against an animated version of yourself on screen, so far it hasn’t. But it is aggravating when his game version doesn’t have enough game. "I will yell at myself on the screen, especially if he misses a game-winning shot from half court. I know I would have made it if it were real life." Like most NBA players, Amare enjoys playing video games, but the size of Amare’s heart, the commitment he has to children and people in need in his community, and his insatiable desire to be great in and out of a basketball uniform are what make him truly unique and special, and an athlete Phoenix needs to appreciate for as long as he’s here. We’ve seen him grow from a confident but shy teenager with limited potential to a strong man who conquers any mountain or challenge put in his path. He wants to make a difference. "My goals, I think, are different than others that came before me. I want my impact to be from a physical standpoint, to reach out and touch people, talk with them, literally be there to be an influence and help them in person. I have my kind of unique way of reaching people who need help, and that’s what I try to do and not so much follow what anyone else has done in the past." |
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