Amare Stoudemire's Brother Dead After Crash in Florida
The brother of New York Knicks' star, Amare Stoudemire has died after an overnight crash in central Florida.
Hazell Stoudemire, 35, was driving a Cadillac Escalade north on U.S. 27 in Lake Wales, Fla., according to ESPN.com. Stoudemire was reportedly driving at a high speed and ran into the back of a tractor trailer at 1:42 a.m. Monday morning.
According to a report issued by the Florida Highway Patrol, Stoudemire was not wearing a seat-belt and was pronounced dead at the scene. It is not yet clear if alcohol was involved in the accident, but police are still investigating.
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The Knicks' organization said that Amare Stoudemire is traveling to Florida to be with his family and does not know when he will return. Head coach, Mike D'Antoni told Stoudemire that he can take as much time as he needs.
"I know he's very close to his brother so my heart's out for him," D'Antoni said. "He cherishes his family, he does a great job of maintaining all the relationships."
Stoudemire will miss tonight's home game against the Utah Jazz, according to the Daily News. It is unclear if he will play in any of the three other games this week.
D'Antoni has been reaching out to Stoudemire in text messages to send his support, but said he has not heard back from him yet.
"My thoughts and prayers and everything's with him," D'Antoni said. "Whatever time he needs to take, he'll take and we'll get him back as soon as possible."
D'Antoni has a personal history with Amare Stoudemire, after coaching him for the first six years of career with the Phoenix Suns and two years with the Knicks.
Hazell Stoudemire was a basketball star like his younger brother Amare, according to the Daily news. He was a standout in the Florida basketball scene, but legal troubles de-railed his career. He was convicted of selling drugs and sexual abuse in 1999 and spent some time in prison.
He also pleaded to child abuse after being accused of getting a minor pregnant in 2004. His ex-wife accused him of rape in 2008, but Stoudemire was later acquitted after his ex-wife pled guilty to perjury in the trial.
Stoudemire will be replaced in starting lineup by Jared Jeffries.
