Former NBA star Amar'e Stoudemire has found an unusual post-basketball career: police officer. Miami Dade College announced on Wednesday that Stoudemire graduated from the MDC School of Justice Basic Law Enforcement Academy. He also received the Harry "Coach" Everett Award for his contributions to the success of the academy program throughout his training.
"It's something I always wanted to do since I was a kid," Stoudemire, 43, told Sports Illustrated in an interview. He recalled being asked on career day in grade school what he wanted to be when he grew up, and his initial answer was a police officer. He said law enforcement runs in his family, noting that his uncle was a captain, his brother was a deputy, his cousin is a captain, and his sister is in the academy. "So, it's a family tradition, basically."
Stoudemire's next step will be in-house training with the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department, he told Sports Illustrated. The 2026 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee is not the first NBA star to pursue a career in law enforcement.
Shaquille O'Neal trained with the Los Angeles Port Police and became a reserve officer in Miami Beach. He has also been sworn in as a reserve officer in Doral, Florida, and as a sheriff's deputy in Jonesboro, Georgia, following a path that Stoudemire now shares.
Source: ESPN NBA · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing