Amar'e Stoudemire, who played in the NBA for 15 seasons, has been charged with misdemeanor violence for reportedly striking one of his teenage daughters.
The 40-year-old Stoudemire was taken into custody early on Sunday morning, according to Amar'e Stoudemire lawsuit documents in Miami-Dade County. He was subsequently freed on $1,500 bail and given a no-contact restriction.
Stoundemire Reportedly Hit His Daughter's Face
The Miami Herald has received a copy of the police report detailing an altercation between Stoudemire and one of his two teenage children on Saturday night at their home in Miami. The report didn't say which of Stoudemire's daughters, 17 and 14, was struck.
The police report stated that Amar'e Stoudemire approached his daughter and reprimanded her for being rude to his mother during a phone conversation. He allegedly told her, "You're talking back again," before hitting her in the jaw and leaving her with facial wounds when she denied it.
She called her mother, Stoudemire's ex-wife, and she came to get her and her two daughters and two sons and called the police, according to ESPN.
According to the Amar'e Stoudemire lawsuit, when police visited the former NBA player's house, he said the youngster "was sad because she got a whooping from him for being rude and a liar." He then asserted his constitutional right to silence.
Amar'e Stoudemire's daughter informed police that her grandma called her name at about 8 p.m. when she was at the basketball star's apartment, per Sports Illustrated. When he asked her, "What?" she responded with a blank stare, forcing her father to storm into her room to ask her why she was showing rudeness.
The former NBA star power forward reportedly hit her in the jaw when she denied having any tone with her grandma and said, "You're talking back again." The daughter then claimed that Amar'e Stoudemire had slapped her, causing her to bleed from the nose, before continuing to slap "the left side of her body."
Stoudemire Breaks Silence, Denies Allegations
In a statement released late on Sunday via social media, Stoudemire strongly refuted the accusation. Fox News reported that within a few short hours of his detention, Amar'e Stoudemire ended his silence to post a statement on Instagram, claiming that the inquiry would uncover the claims against him as having no merit. He preferred to handle the situation privately.
The former NBA player stated in the post that the "allegation is based on a report that does not square with the facts. I am of the Jewish faith, and today Jewish people all over the world celebrate Hanukkah and hear the story of how we fought wickedness."
He also underscored that one of his core morals is "whatever is hateful to you, do not do to others."
Stoudemire played in the NBA for 14 seasons until making his last stint with the Heat in the 2015-16 season. During his career, he played for the Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks, and Miami Heat. He was selected to six different NBA All-Star teams but his amazing career was shortened by injuries. From 2020 to 2022, he worked for the Brooklyn Nets as a player development assistant.
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