Word has it that Knicks forward Amar’e Stoudemire may head out to Jerusalem to play for an Israeli team, once his contract expires after next season. Stoudemire is part of a four-man ownership group that purchased 60 percent of Hapoel Jerusalem last summer, and that team went on to become the leaders of the league at 20-7.
This doesn’t seem to be far-fetched considering that Stoudemire won’t get the same money in the NBA (because his knees are made of Pixy Stix) that he could get overseas.
NY Post reports:
“We’ll see,’’ Stoudemire told The Post. “You can’t rule anything out. The future is unknown and so if I have an opportunity to [play in Israel] and am still in great health, it would be great. I have one more year left on my deal and we’ll go from there.’’
Stoudemire claims he has Jewish roots on his mother’s side and has become observant regarding Jewish holidays, including Passover, which began Monday night. Stoudemire said he will observe by not eating bread.
Israeli-American Ori Allon, who heads the Hapoel ownership group, said he has had discussions with Stoudemire about playing for Hapoel Jerusalem. Allon has a goal of making Hapoel into the same recognizable brand as Maccabi Tel Aviv and believes Stoudemire’s addition — as owner or player — has put the team on that path.
“We’ve discussed it in the past,’’ Allon said. “It would be tremendous and unbelievable but it’s still early. I think it’s a real possibility, but he played very well this season so it’s up to him.’’
