Former Suns star Amar’e Stoudemire has 2 regrets from his career in Phoenix

Amar’e Stoudemire is proud of his time as a Phoenix Sun, but he still has two regrets.

He still regrets stepping on the court during an altercation that didn’t even involve him, which might have cost the Suns a championship. Stoudemire also regrets not spending his entire career in Phoenix.

“Those two moments were situations that I would somewhat love to redo,” Stoudemire told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Tuesday.

In 2006-07, Phoenix was led by Stoudemire and legendary point guard Steve Nash. The Suns racked up 61 wins, which was second in the entire league behind the 67-win Dallas Mavericks.

In the final seconds of Game 4 of the second round of the playoffs in San Antonio, Spurs forward Robert Horry hip-checked Nash into the scorer’s table, causing Stoudemire to instinctively jump off the Phoenix bench in defense of his teammate.

Because of the NBA’s rules about leaving a bench were emphasized after the 2004 fight in the stands between the Pistons and Pacers, players on the bench who enter the court of play are subject to suspension. Stoudemire and Suns forward Boris Diaw were suspended for a Game 5 loss, and the Suns went on to lose the series in six games. Stoudemire averaged 25 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks throughout the series.

“I wish I would have known about this rule that you can’t step on the court if an altercation happens,” Stoudemire told Wolf & Luke. “It was out of my control, I didn’t know about the rule. I don’t think Boris did, either. That was always something that we would love to take back.”

During the 2010 offseason, Stoudemire opted out of his contract with the Suns after contact disputes with former owner Robert Sarver. Because of injury concerns, the Suns didn’t want to offer a contract worth more than four years, which made Stoudemire feel “unappreciated.”

A month later, after eight seasons with Phoenix, he signed with the New York Knicks and agreed to a five-year contract worth $99.7 million. Six years later, Stoudemire would retire.

“I wish I would have had an opportunity to stay in Phoenix and play my entire career there. That was my ultimate goal.” Stoudemire said. “I had built a home in the Biltmore, and I was ready to extend my career and finish my career in Phoenix. ”

Despite these regrets, Stoudemire still had a fruitful tenure with the Suns. He won Rookie of the Year in 2003, was an All-NBA First Team selection in 2007, led Phoenix to the playoffs five times and was an all-star five times.

On March 2, Stoudemire will be inducted into the Suns Ring Of Honor.