MIAMI — A former NBA All-Star has picked up the badge to serve in the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department, Local 10 reported.
Amar’e Stoudemire graduated from the Miami-Dade Police Academy and received his badge at a ceremony Oct. 14. He was also inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame this year.
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Stoudemire played 14 years in the NBA, with a career average of 18.9 points on 53.7% shooting, as well as 7.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 blocks per game, Local 10 reported. His final NBA season was played with the Miami Heat in 2015-16.
Stoudemire said his goal of becoming a police officer started at a young age.
“It’s something I always wanted to do since I was a kid. I remember back when I was in grade school, elementary school,” Stoudemire told Sports Illustrated. “They asked you on career day, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ And my initial response was a police officer. It runs in the family. My uncle was a captain. His brother was a deputy. My cousin is a captain. My sister’s in the academy. So, it’s a family tradition, basically.”
Stoudemire stated in his Sports Illustrated interview that he found the police academy to be more challenging than NBA training due to the long-distance running. He also said that several role models in his life influenced him to become and officer.
“It’s a community-oriented job where our first line of business is to protect and serve the community, and that’s what drew me to the field,” he said.
