Paul Coro

azcentral sports

Amar’e Stoudemire gets sentimental the moment he reflects on his first eight NBA seasons spent in Phoenix, where a raw teenager became a skilled All-Star.

“Where do you want me to start?” Stoudemire said Thursday, shuffling through his mind's fondest Suns memories. “It doesn’t stop.”

Stoudemire quickly recites Suns times like flying with a Phoenix contingent to recruit Steve Nash out of Dallas, watching Leandro Barbosa and Goran Dragic arrive in Phoenix from foreign countries, his career's most successful seasons as an individual and a team, experiencing a preseason tour of Italy and Germany, watching Nash’s soccer skills on the Suns practice court and using his Hollywood connections to entertain teammates on the road.

All of that, dotted by conference finals runs and five All-Star Games as a Sun, will carry more weight in time than his decision to retire on a one-day New York Knicks contract for his less successful NBA home of 4 ½ years.

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Stoudemire just did not feel the same love back in the past two offseasons, when he hoped to return to the Suns to close his career. That prompted him to reach out to New York this month for a ceremonial contract with a “Once a Knick, Always a Knick” quotation to cap his 14-year career.

“The last two years, we made phone calls to Phoenix but I wasn’t getting any positive response,” Stoudemire told azcentral sports on Thursday. “That would’ve been the perfect way to go out. I didn’t want to beg Phoenix. My heart was in two places – Phoenix and New York. I just went where I was wanted.”

This summer, the Suns drafted power forwards Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss and then signed Jared Dudley, Stoudemire’s former Suns teammate, to be their starting power forward.

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“They brought back Jared and Leandro, my boys,” Stoudemire said. “That would’ve been a heck of a way to finish. I wasn’t just going to keep knocking on someone’s door that wasn’t going to answer.

“I love my fans in Phoenix. Most of my high times and highlights were in Phoenix. I put forth the effort to finish my career in Phoenix but it wasn’t well-received.”

Stoudemire, 33, has not ruled out playing professionally in a foreign league, perhaps in China or Israel, but he said he already has enjoyed how retirement will give him more time with his wife, Alexis, and their four children and for new surprising endeavors.

“I’m at peace with it because I gave everything that I had,” Stoudemire said. “It took a while. The game is such a beautiful game. I was truly in love with it but there were no teams who needed my position.”

Stoudemire watched Nash be inducted into the Suns Ring of Honor last season and thought, “I might be next.” There are currently 14 members.

Even with missing nearly a full season during his eight-year Phoenix stay, Stoudemire ranks highly in Suns career annals – fourth in points per game (21.4), third in total rebounds (4,613), fifth in total blocks (722), third in free throws made (3,044) and seventh in field goal percentage (54.3).

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“I’m praying for that,” Stoudemire said of a Ring of Honor induction, “because my glory years are in Phoenix. My best times are in Phoenix. I bleed purple and orange. My roots are in Phoenix and the tree bloomed from there.”

Beyond that, he believes he also had a Hall of Fame career. He said he made being a Hall of Famer a goal when he was 17 years old, amid a time when he shuffled through five high schools and missed two prep seasons. He went directly to the pros, became Rookie of the Year and leaves the league in the same offseason as Tim Duncan.

Stoudemire offers a unique distinction for his career – best dunk posterizer ever.

“Who was the greatest player ever to dunk on players?” Stoudemire asked. “I’m putting my bid in now. I had the power, the rise and the body English in the air … Greatest posterizer.”

Stoudemire wanted to make it clear that his positive feelings for the franchise remain in tact, especially his respect for Suns fans and managing partner Robert Sarver.

"I never have received so much love and loyalty than I did with Suns fans," Stoudemire said. "I love them unconditionally.

"I understand what Robert is trying to do. I know Robert is trying to win and I know the organization is trying to create a winning environment. I respect what they are trying to accomplish. If they need my help with anything, I am here for them."

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Reach Paul Coro at paul.coro@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-2470. Follow him attwitter.com/paulcoro.