Last night at Marquee, Amar’e Stoudemire unveiled his candid documentary, Amar’e Stoudemire: In the Moment. In conjunction with EPIX, the documentary — premiering tonight — highlights Amare’s troubling childhood, which stemmed from his father’s passing to his mother’s excessive abuse on drugs to his rise as a perennial NBA All-Star. In addition to the unveiling, Stoudemire tackled questions from ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith in regards to his thoughts on draft night, playing with Carmelo Anthony, and whether he would return for the opening round of the playoffs against the Boston Celtics.
Many notable stars were in attendance to pay support to the six-time All-Star. New York’s Anthony, Chris Copeland, Tyson Chandler and Iman Shumpert were in the building, as well as their coaching staff to watch their teammate premiere his documentary, the first time STAT had ever seen the documentary in its entirety.
“I haven’t seen it yet,” he said. “I wanted this to be very organic. I wanted the viewers to know that it’s pure. I didn’t want it edited. I didn’t want to correct anything. I wanted them to see the actual footage on how it is.”
STAT’s candor and vulnerability were on full display. His turbulent relationship with his mother’s drug usage came to light. She admitted she sold drugs and prostituted during his adolescence, and Stoudemire went far enough to describe his mother in the film as a “gangsta.”
Still, Stoudemire bypassed all the pain and become what his mother calls her “Billion Dollar Baby.” Despite playing at six different high schools, Amar’e’s talent was remarkable and garnered massive attention from NBA scouts. His decision wasn’t easy, but with his mother’s assistance and fear of his stock dropping in college due to potential injuries, he made the jump and went on to be drafted No. 9 by the Suns.
Last night, he admitted he initially wanted the Knicks to draft him with the No. 7 pick. To many’s surprise, the Knicks didn’t offer Stoudemire a workout. (His only workouts: the Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic, and the Houston Rockets) But when Amar’e entered the league, he came in with a bang, showcasing his incredible leaping ability, especially for his tantalizing slam over former No. 1 pick Michael Olowokandi. His favorite dunk this year? DeAndre Jordan crowning Brandon Knight.
“Yeah, oh yeah without a doubt the DeAndre Jordan dunk on my young boy Brandon Knight,” he said. “That’s my young boy, man. He came from my program out of Florida. It’s great to see him successful so far in the league. But that dunk was incredible.”
Keep reading to hear more on the new documentary…
Fans will also be delighted to see the other sides of Amar’e Stoudemire, ranging from his loving relationship with his three children to his adoration for his wife to his charity work and to his passion-filled mission to expand reading in the younger generation.
More importantly, the documentary showcased STAT’s journey to come back to start the 2012-2013 season. Grueling two-a-day practices took place in order to ensure his health. He also took a trip to Houston to polish his post game with Hakeem Olajuwon, who has helped the likes of Kobe and LeBron in the past.
The most heartfelt moment came when Amar’e was set to comeback to start the season, but suffered a setback with his knees that pushed his expected date to play back to January. After his stellar return as a role player averaging over 13 points a game during that span, I asked Stoudemire whether he can see himself returning back to that same form despite re-injuring himself.
“Without a doubt, that’s the whole point of recovering and perseverance,” he said. “It’s to reach dominance and to help my team win a championship.”
While Stoudemire has been rehabbing in hopes of returning to play in the playoffs, he didn’t give an exact time frame on his return, yet gave a glimmer of promise to ravaging Knick fans.
“Well hopefully soon,” he said. “I’m doing everything I can (to) be mentally strong and healthy. So hopefully I’ll be out there soon.”
Being the player to revitalize the city of New York after years of mediocrity and then be sidelined did bother Amar’e mentally, but he has come around, especially knowing his team delivered a No. 2 seed in the East behind Anthony and J.R. Smith.
“It’s frustrating knowing I’m battling injuries, but it’s also phenomenal knowing that what I actually started is happening,” Stoudemire said. “We have guys like Carmelo, who’s playing MVP-caliber basketball. We have JR. Smith – who’s Sixth Man of the Year in my viewing – and Tyson Chandler who’s playing well defensively for us. We have a great nucleus of guys that I think could help us win a title.”
While the Celtics, the first round opponent, appear more vulnerable with the loss of Rajon Rondo, their nucleus in Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett remain a top concern for New York. Shumpert admitted their proven track record in the playoffs will turn Boston into a untypical No. 7 seed, saying he’ll do whatever he can to make Pierce uncomfortable. But Chandler isn’t exactly worried.
“[There’s] no pressure,” he said last night. “We’re here to have fun. You do what you’ve been doing the entire year. This is what you prepare for. Now is just the time to showcase it.”
What do you think?
Follow Carl on Twitter at @TheRealCL24.
Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.
