156. Amar'e Stoudemire
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The first current player to make the list. Amar’e Stoudemire was one of the dozens of straight from High School to the NBA players which defined the NBA draft from 1995 until 2005. He is also one of the few players from High School to make an immediate impact in the NBA.
Stoudemire’s high school career was a troubled one. He attended six different high schools because his mother was in and out of prison and he played only two years of high school ball. But in those two years he made a huge impact, and quickly gained notoriety as one of the better high school players in the country. He originally committed to the University of Memphis but changed his mind and entered the 2002 NBA Draft where he was the 9th overall pick by the Phoenix Suns.
Stoudemire had great success his rookie year, averaging 13 points and 9 rebounds on route to winning the Rookie of the Year award. He also scored 38 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves which was a than record fro a high school to NBA player, the record has since been broke by Lebron James.
The Success Stoudemire and the Suns seen his first year was short lived. The 2003-04 was a disaster for the Phoenix Suns. They traded half their roster |  |
during the season and finished 29-53. The season did see a lot of growth for Stoudemire who’s points jumped up to 20 a game and his rebounds up to 9 a game. But injury would limit him to just 55 games. But he would be back to full strength in the summer and represent the United States at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics.
The following season the Suns added Steve Nash and turned things around. Stoudemire would average a career high 26 points a game, and once again grab 9 boards a game. The Suns would win 62 games and Stoudemire would be selected to his first all-star team.
The 2005-06 season would be the worst of Stoudemire’s career. In the preseason it was announced that he would miss significant time due to knee knee damage which would require micro fracture surgery. Stoudemire would return in March of that season but after just three games would need surgery on his other knee.
Stoudemire would come back at full strength for the 2006-07 season and play in all 82 games. He would once again play in the all-star game. Prior to the season he changed his jersey number for #32 to #1. In the 2007 playoffs Stoudemire would get involved in one of the most controversial playoff decisions in recent NBA history. Spurs forward Robert Horry hip checked Suns guard Steve Nash into the scorers table, Stoudemire and teammate Boris Diaw who had been on the bench rushed to Nash’s aid. The NBA ruled this a violation because no player is allowed to leave the bench during an altercation and both Stoudemire and Diaw were suspended for the next game. The Spurs went on to win the series and the NBA championship.
Stoudemire would make his third all-star team in 2008 and lead the Suns in scoring at 26 points a game, but once again playoff success eluded the Suns as they fell in the first round to the San Antonio Spurs. The Following season the Suns got in a tight race for the entire season for the 8th spot with the Utah Jazz. The Suns fell behind the Jazz a week before the all-star break. Stoudemire would represent the Suns once again as the city of Phoenix hosted the all-star game. The game following the all-star break Stoudemire suffered an eye injury which required him to miss the remainder of the season and sealed Pheonix’s fait as a lottery team.
Stoudemire and the Suns would bounce back though in 2009-10. The Suns would win 54 games and capture the 3rd seed in the West. The Suns would finally get revenge on the Spurs and sweep them in the second round. Unfortunately for the Suns they fell to the Lakers in the Western Finals.
Stoudemire entered the 2010-11 season as one of the leagues most prominent free agents and it is unsure where he will play next season.
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