I think as much as anyone else, I was suprised to hear the reports about Amar'e Stoudemire (not pictured).
The Knicks new 100-million dollar man suddenly started tweeting in Hebrew.
He then decided to make a pilgramage to Israel to explore his Jewish roots.
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My natural impulse was to be dismissive.
I'm not proud to say it.
I'm just somewhat cynical by nature.
A basketball player moves to the market with the largest Jewish population in the United States, and all of a sudden throws on a Yarmulke?
I thought perhaps he was sucking up to his fan-base a bit.
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And then I watched the following interview with Israeli television:
Watch it.
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It's striking.
His sincerity is overwhelming.
Here's a young man with everything you can ask for.
He's got money.
He's got the big contract.
He's playing on the biggest stage (albeit an average team).
And yet, he's going all Siddhartha.
He's running out and having his existential quest to connect with his heritage.
Contrast that with other free agents.
It's refreshing and interesting.
I won't be cheering for the Knicks next season, but I do think Amar'e is pretty freaking cool.
When the reporter said "Give me some words in Hebrew," I got that same nervous feeling I had when I was a kid in Hebrew school and my teachers would put me on the spot and ask me to recite a prayer I was supposed to have learned. I still haven't memorized the Avot.
ReplyDeletehahah... he did quite well
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