Amar’e Stoudemire, a six-time NBA all-star will retire as a New York Knick and signed a one-day contract to retire as a member of the team.

He officially announced his retirement in a statement, “I want to thank Mr. Dolan, Phil [Jackson] and Steve [Mills] for signing me so that I can officially retire as a New York Knick." He continued, “I came to New York in 2010 to help revitalize this franchise and we did just that. Carmelo [Anthony], Phil  and Steve have continued this quest, and with this year’s acquisitions, the team looks playoff-bound once again. Although my career has taken me to other places around the country, my heart had always remained in the Big Apple. Once a Knick, Always a Knick.”

Steve Mills, the Knicks general manager and vice president, praised Stoudemire in a statement. “For parts of six years, Amar’e Stoudemire was the face of the New York Knicks franchise because of his excellence on the court and his dedication to our community and our fans across the world,” he said. “When Amar’e asked us to retire as a Knick, we were honored to oblige.”

Stoudemire started his career with the Phoenix Suns back in 2002. He continued with the team until he joined the Knicks in 2010. After suffering a knee injury, he hit rocky times with the team. He was eventually signed by the Dallas Mavericks in 2015 playing 23 games with the team. Last summer, he joined the Miami Heat for a brief stint. He was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2003, and he broke Willie Naulls record by scoring 30-plus points in nine consecutive games.

Source: nba.com