Amar'e Stoudemire, the NBA player who has claimed to have "Hebrew roots" and has spent a lot of time in Israel in the past, has announced his retirement from the NBA.

Stoudemire also announced that he is moving to Israel, to Jerusalem, and will be playing on the basketball team Hapoel Jerusalem, of which he is also a part owner.



I wonder if he was on the most recent Nefesh bNefesh flight to Israel...

Also interesting is a little mussar shmuzz Stoudemire gave in his article in The Players Tribune discussing his decision and reflecting on his career. Stoudemire writes:

I may be retiring from the NBA, but I’m not saying goodbye to basketball just yet. My next step is playing for Hapoel Jerusalem, one of the top teams in Europe. This isn’t about collecting a paycheck overseas, though; it’s a spiritual journey, too.
 The Scripture speaks about Jerusalem as a holy place, and I can feel that whenever I’m in the city. This is a chance for me to be a better husband and a better father, to help me lead my family into righteousness. The opportunity to play there, and grow as a player and person, is a blessing.

Halevai we would all (and I include myself in this) see and recognize this about Jerusalem and the opportunities we have to feels her holiness and spend time there and grow there, and live lives of righteousness, no matter how we are occupying ourselves...