He signed a $100M NBA deal and just made the Hall of Fame. Now Amar’e Stoudemire, 43, is a rookie again — as a cop

Stoudemire will serve the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department. He told Sports Illustrated that it has always been his dream to become a police officer since he was a child.

“I remember back when I was in grade school, elementary school. They asked you on career day, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ And my initial response was a police officer,” Stoudemire said in the interview.

Police work also runs in his family. His uncle and cousin were captains, while his brother was a deputy, he said. His sister is also in the academy.

Parallels between law enforcement and the NBA

Stoudemire sees some early similarities between his former life as a professional athlete and his new carrer as a police officer. It requires a lot of discipline, professionalism and the ability to communicate properly, he told SI.

“I think as an athlete, all those things also are important,” he said. “Being able to communicate with your fans and the media, but more so, as an officer, you communicate with the community. So I will be able to help steer the next generation in the proper way and catch them before they get in trouble and try to provide some guidance there.”

While the jump to law enforcement for Stoudemire was an unlikely one, he is not the first ex-athlete to make that leap. Fellow Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal was named an honorary FBI special agent in September. He has been sworn in as a reserve officer in police departments across the country, including in Miami.

Other examples include former New York Jets Wide receiver Laveranues Coles who serves as a cop in Jacksonville and former Detroit Lions running back and U.S. Olympian Jahvid Best in San Francisco.

Stoudemire’s Hall of Fame playing career

Stoudemire played 14 seasons in the NBA after turning pro right out of high school in 2002. He averaged nearly 19 points and eight rebounds per game over the course of his career, according to Basketball Reference.

He played for four teams: the Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks. His best years were in Phoenix and New York, where he made a combined six All-Star teams and one All-NBA First Team. He additionally earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2003.

In July 2010, Stoudemire signed a five-year contract with the Knicks worth $100 million. But, overall, he made more than $167 million in the NBA, according to SI. And just this past summer, Stoudemire was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.