For the past five years, Amare Stoudemire was a Phoenix Sun, but as of this past summer, he's also a Sun Devil.
Stoudemire, the 24-year-old all-star for the Suns, took a pair of courses at the Tempe campus during the summer — the first college classes he's taken.
"I've been trying to go for the past four or five summers, just never had time," he said. "I don't really have time this year, but I just said, 'Forget it. I'm just going to try and squeeze it in.' "
After graduating from Cypress Creek High School in Orlando, Fla., in 2002, the 6-foot-10-inch forward bypassed college for the NBA, where the Suns took him ninth overall.
Despite entrenching himself as one of the league's top power forward/centers, Stoudemire said the education would help him.
"Just from an education standpoint, it definitely helps," he said.
Aiming for a degree in history, one of the classes Stoudemire took was human geography.
His favorite part of the class was just being there, Stoudemire said.
"It's exciting to me because it's my first time going to college," Stoudemire said.
Also on Stoudemire's schedule was a Pilates class — which featured only female classmates, he said, winking and smiling.
Despite Stoudemire's celebrity status, the University provides the same level of service to him as they would any student, said Leah Hardesty, an ASU spokeswoman.
The relationship between the University and the professional teams nearby is unique, said Steve Hank, ASU assistant athletic director for revenue and marketing.
"We have a unique situation with professional teams a short distance from our campus, and whether that is coaches and administrators sharing philosophies, marketing offices sharing ideas or athletes attending our events, we embrace the opportunities," Hank said in an e-mail. "Amare's situation is unique, and he is a great example of understanding how important education is, and our department is here to help him if there is anything we can do."
The proximity to ASU was a big factor in choosing the school, Stoudemire said.
"It's convenient, it's right here in town," he said. "I love it. It's huge, it's nice, it's clean, it's ran very well, it's very organized."
And though his personal and work schedule won't allow him to take many classes, Stoudemire said he's going to try and take some online classes this year.
However long it takes to finish, the education would provide him with something after basketball, he said.
"I actually just started, so I've got a long way to go," he said. "Maybe eight years or so. It's going to take some time."
Reach the reporter at: matthew.g.stone@asu.edu.
