MIAMI _ Free-agent center Amar'e Stoudemire announced his retirement Tuesday, after signing a ceremonial final contract with the New York Knicks, becoming the fifth member to depart from last season's Miami Heat roster.
In a statement, Stoudemire, 33, who emerged as the Heat's starting center over the second half of the regular season before being shuffled back in the playoff rotation, chose to reflect upon his Knicks tenure.
"Although my career has taken me to other places around the country, my heart had always remained in the Big Apple," he said. "Once a Knick, Always a Knick."
Stoudemire made it clear following the Heat's playoff elimination that he was disappointed by his lack of playing time in the playoffs, also indicating disappointment that coach Erik Spoelstra elected to play undersized power forward Justise Winslow as the Heat's starting center in the final two games of the playoffs. Stoudemire appeared in neither of those games.
"Size is always going to matter in this league," Stoudemire said after the Heat's Game 7 loss to the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference semifinals. "Dr. Naismith created the game to be an inside out game. It's going to always matter. It's how the game has always been played."
At the time, Stoudemire said of his lone season with the Heat, "It's been a pretty good year. For me, personally, I showed great health. I've showed resilience and consistency of playing. I would have loved to have played more. But, for the most part, it's a successful year from a health standpoint."
He added, "I had the best time of my life with my teammates this season."
Yet he bristled when asked about his limited playing time over the course of the season. "That," he said, "was not a part of the deal."
Stoudemire's retirement leaves forward Dorell Wright as the lone remaining unsigned free agent from last season's Heat roster.
The Heat previously in free agency lost Dwyane Wade to the Chicago Bulls, Luol Deng to the Los Angeles Lakers, Joe Johnson to the Utah Jazz and Gerald Green to the Boston Celtics.
Stoudemire was added by the Heat on a one-year veteran-minimum contract last season, supplanting Hassan Whiteside in the starting lineup for most of the second half of the regular season.
Once Whiteside returned to the lineup the final week of the regular season, Stoudemire was largely reduced to a minimal role except for two starts in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Raptors, when Whiteside was sidelined.
The Heat this offseason added journeyman free-agent center Willie Reed to back up a re-signed Whiteside, with Udonis Haslem, Josh McRoberts, Luke Babbitt and Chris Bosh, if he is able to return from the blood clots that have sidelined him the second half of each of the past two seasons, also in the Heat's power rotation.
Over his 14 NBA seasons, Stoudemire averaged 18.9 points and 7.8 rebounds in 846 career regular-season games for the Phoenix Suns, Knicks, Dallas Mavericks and Heat. In addition to six NBA All-Star berths, he was named to five All-NBA teams (two first teams, three second teams) and was 2003 NBA Rookie of the Year.
