30 best NBA players to never win a championship

28. Amar’e Stoudemire

There are a number of guys featured throughout this list that it’s hard not to wonder what might have been had they been able to stay healthy. Chief among those players might be Amar’e Stoudemire. There may be some fans that only remember him for his injury problems and for taking an obscene amount of money from the New York Knicks. While both of those things are inescapably part of his career, Stoudemire was so much more than that when he was at his best.

During his eight seasons with the Phoenix Suns, Stoudemire really only had one season (maybe two) that were truly marred due to injuries. What’s more, his first season with the Knicks was wildly productive. Thus, to get the best picture of how much of a force the big man was right out of high school, we’ll look at those years.

Stoudemire averaged 21.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 53.7 percent from the floor during those seasons. Undoubtedly his best season came in the 2007-08 campaign when the big fella put up 25.2 points. 9.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game with incredibly efficient 59 percent shooting from the field.

Unfortunately, his knee injuries ultimately robbed him of much of his athleticism late in his career. He was unable to be the same explosive threat that he was before and thus unable to have the same type of success. Much to the chagrin of Knicks fans, he couldn’t to live up to his contract. Yet when you look at Stoudemire at his best, his greatness is unavoidable.