Amar'e Stoudemire arrested in Miami on battery charge after allegedly punching daughter
Amar'e Stoudemire, the former NBA star who retired from U.S. basketball in 2016, was arrested in Miami on Saturday after graduating with his master's degree from the University of Miami.
According to the Miami Herald, Stoudemire was arrested after 10 p.m. at his Miami condo and charged with domestic violence misdemeanor battery after allegedly slapping and punching one of his daughters so hard he drew blood.
The arrest report, which was obtained by the Herald, contains quotes from Stoudemire's daughter (a minor who remains unidentified), the girl's mother and Stoudemire's ex-wife, Alexis, and Stoudemire himself. According to the daughter, the 6-foot-10, 255-pound Stoudemire got upset when he thought she was "giving attitude" to her grandmother, and allegedly punched her in the jaw, slapped her in the face and slapped her on various locations on the left side of her body after she denied having an attitude.
Alexis told police that she came to the house to pick up her daughter and two sons after receiving a text and a picture from her daughter asking for help. She also received a text from Stoudemire, who told police that he texted Alexis to pick up her daughter “because she was sad,” and she “was sad because she received a whooping from him for being disrespectful and a liar.”
The police, who had been called to the house after receiving a report about a custody dispute, saw blood on the daughter's clothes when they arrived.
“I observed blood stains on the victim’s sweater and sweatpants,” the arrest report states via the Miami Herald. “The mother of the victim showed me the photo she received from her daughter, which shows the victim crying and blood running down her face.”
The Herald reported that after being arrested, Stoudemire chose to exercise his right to remain silent. He was released on $1,500 bail and a pretrial no-contact order was also issued. His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 17, 2023.
Amar'e Stoudemire denies assaulting daughter
Hours after the arrest was reported, Stoudemire released a statement through his Instagram account calling the allegations untrue and claiming he was not physically responsible for his daughter's condition.
Stoudemire's full statement:
"Over the last 24 hours, an incident at my family home led to my being charged with assaulting my daughter. It is an allegation based on a report that does not square with the facts. I am of the Jewish faith, today Jewish people all over the world celebrate Hanukkah and hear the story of how we fought wickedness. I believe that 'whatever is hateful to you, do not do to others.' As the investigation unfolds, the facts will show the allegations to be groundless as my daughter's medical condition is not the result of being assaulted by a father who is nearly 7 feet tall and weighs 250 pounds. I could never see myself assaulting any person, especially my children. I respect, protect, and love my family, particularly my children. As a father, I ask for your grace as we secure our space and privacy."
Stoudemire, 40, was drafted by the Phoenix Suns with the ninth overall pick in 2003 and won the Rookie of the Year award that season. Over his 14-year NBA career, he spent significant time with the Suns and the New York Knicks, and also played for the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat. He recently spent two seasons with the Brooklyn Nets as a player development assistant.
