Amare Stoudemire
Stoudemire in 2011, photo by Prphotos
Birth Name: Amar’e Carsares Stoudemire
Place of Birth: Lake Wales, Florida, U.S.
Date of Birth: November 16, 1982
Ethnicity: African-American
Amar’e Stoudemire is an American and Israeli basketball player and coach. Initially with the National Basketball Association (NBA), he has played for the Phoenix Suns, the New York Knicks, the Dallas Mavericks, the Miami Heat, Hapoel Jerusalem, Fujian Sturgeons, Maccabi Tel Aviv, and the U.S. Olympic team. He won NBA Rookie of the Year in 2003. He has been a player development assistant for the Brooklyn Nets, and owns a large share of Hapoel Jerusalem.
His parents, Carrie (Palmorn) and Hazell Stoudemire, are both African-American. His mother performed agricultural work, and moved with Amar’e to upstate New York when he was a child, where Amar’e lived in Newburgh and Port Jervis. He is married to Alexis Welch, with whom he has four children. In 2019, Amar’e became an Israeli citizen; he has played for Israeli teams.
Amar’e formally converted to Judaism in 2020, with a Rabbinical Court. He took on the Hebrew name Yahoshafat Ben Avraham.
In the past, Amar’e had sometimes said that his mother had some degree of Jewish ancestry. It is not clear if Jewish heritage has been verified/documented for Amar’e’s mother.
Amar’e’s paternal grandfather was Jimmie/Jimmy J. Stoudemire, Jr. (the son of Jimmy Stoudemire and Lillie Smith). Amar’e’s grandfather Jimmie was born in Alabama.
Amar’e’s paternal grandmother was Oriephine Lamar (the daughter of Joe/Joseph David Lamar and Alabama Robinson). Oriephine was born in Alabama. Joe was the son of Will/William Lamar and Mittie/Mit Dejarnette.
Amar’e’s maternal grandfather was Jack Palmorn (the son of Joe Palmorn and Carrie Jackson). Jack was born in Georgia.
Amar’e’s maternal grandmother was named Bessie Bell Thomas.
Sources: http://njjewishnews.com
http://www.jpost.com
Article about Amar’e’s Judaism – https://ohr.edu
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