Former NBA player Amar’e Stoudemire has graduated from a police academy in Miami and is now a police officer, according to a Fox News report published Oct. 15, 2026. The report cites an interview Stoudemire gave to Sports Illustrated. It does not specify when the graduation took place or identify his department or assignment.
Stoudemire, 43, said he had wanted to become a police officer since childhood. Recalling a grade-school career-day question, he told Sports Illustrated that becoming an officer was his first answer when asked what he hoped to do as an adult.
He described law enforcement as a family connection as well as a personal goal. Stoudemire said his uncle served as a captain, the uncle’s brother was a deputy, a cousin is a captain, and his sister is attending an academy.
The report says Stoudemire applied lessons from basketball while completing the academy’s physical requirements and studying policy. In the interview, he pointed to discipline, professionalism and communication as qualities relevant to both athletics and policing. He said communication with the community would be central to his work as an officer and expressed an interest in guiding young people before they get into trouble.
Stoudemire also discussed his wife’s concerns about the risks of police work. He said she was worried about the danger, and he emphasized training and knowledge of department policies and procedures as important to officer safety. The report provides no additional information about the training he completed or the specific duties he will perform.
He said protecting and serving the community, particularly people seeking safety, helped draw him to law enforcement. He also spoke about wanting to mentor young people, including by encouraging them in areas beyond sports, such as professional and entrepreneurial development.
Stoudemire recalled other law enforcement role models from his youth, including an uncle and a junior-varsity coach. He said their influence helped steer him in a positive direction.
Stoudemire played in the NBA and was a six-time All-Star. The report gives his career averages as 17.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. It also characterizes him as a Hall of Famer and says he earned more than $161 million during his playing career.
