Former NBA star on his way to becoming a veteran? “not unreasonable”

Amar’e Stoudemire does not rule out the possibility that one day he will become a rabbi. In an interview with TMZ Sports published today (Monday), the former NBA star said that he spends a lot of time studying Torah, which led to the question of whether he considers himself qualified for the position.

“It will require a lot more studies. It’s not unreasonable, said the 43-year-old Stoudemire, with, among other things, Mishna books and a Talmudic encyclopedia behind him. According to him, he continues to challenge himself intellectually – he studies Torah and “always tries to prepare for what comes next.”

Behind the star of the past, who received Israeli citizenship in 2019 and later also completed an Orthodox conversion and adopted the name Yehoshaphat ben Avraham, a long career in theNBA. In the summer of 2016 he moved to Israel, signed with Hapoel Jerusalem and later with Maccabi Tel Aviv; It happened six years after his former agent, Happy Walters, said that “it’s a bit excessive to call him a Jew at this point” – against the background of the beginning of the basketball player’s public displays of affection for Judaism, and a belief that he has a connection to the people of Israel.

So is it possible that one day he really will be a rabbi? After laughing at the question, and noting that he would need a few more years of study, he also added: “But with God’s help, things will work out in the right direction.”

While he continues to attend the synagogue, we note that next month Stoudemire will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the 2026 class.