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Report: Amar’e Stoudemire to join Nets coaching staff, reunite with Steve Nash

The two pillars of the “Seven Seconds or Less” Phoenix Suns are reportedly reuniting. As coaches.

Former NBA All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire is joining the Brooklyn Nets coaching staff as an assistant, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Stoudemire’s role will reportedly focus on player development.

The hire reunites Stoudemire with Nets head coach Steve Nash, who played alongside the big man for six seasons in Phoenix. One of their teammates for two seasons on those Suns: current Nets general manager Sean Marks.

Stoudemire’s last NBA appearance came in the 2015-16 season with the Miami Heat, and has since played overseas and the BIG3 league. Like Nash, this will be Stoudemire’s first full-time coaching role at any level.

Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire reunited

Amar'e Stoudemire and Steve Nash high-five during an NBA game.
Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire are part of the Nets coaching staff. How much of their years with the Suns will they take with them? (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Together, under head coach Mike D’Antoni, Nash and Stoudemire powered an up-tempo, borderline unstoppable offense that led the NBA in scoring in all but one of their seasons together. Stoudemire posted 23.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game in those seasons, while Nash averaged 17.9 points and 10.9 assists, twice winning MVP.

Elements of that offense can be seen all over today’s NBA, but it remains to be seen what Nash plans to do with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and the rest of the Nets.

From Nets Daily:

“Stylistically, it’s to be determined,” said Nash in his virtual conference call from HSS Center Wednesday. “Obviously, one of the most important things is to start on the defensive end, be strong in defensive transition and in the half-court. And on offense, for our team we have a talented group, we definitely want to use the talent, speed, athleticism, versatility of our players that’re able to make plays for each other.

“The skill is profound in our roster, and we want to put them in a position where they can express themselves and in a way where they can be very difficult to cover, make teams make a lot of decisions and potentially a lot of mistakes and make them difficult to guard. That’s still a work in progress.”

Stoudemire joins a coaching staff that also includes former Nets interim head coach Jacques Vaughn. D’Antoni himself, assuming he doesn’t find a head coaching job after his Houston Rockets exit, is reportedly another possible addition, according to SiriusXM’s Frank Isola.

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