The Israel Association of Baseball has invited former NBA star Amar’e Stoudemire’s son, who was barred from playing Israeli basketball, to switch to baseball.
Peter Kurz, the baseball association’s president, made the invitation Dec. 5 in an open letter to Stoudemire and his wife, Alexis, saying he was “shocked” that Deuce Stoudemire, 12, has not been allowed to play games with the Hapoel Jerusalem youth team because he is not an Israeli citizen.
Six-time NBA all-star Amar’e Stoudemire, who claims “Hebrew roots,” electrified the country when he joined Hapoel Jerusalem in August, ending a 14-season NBA career. The Stoudemires and their four children live in Jerusalem.
Last week, Alexis posted a photo of Deuce on Instagram along with a message complaining that the Israel Basketball Association, which oversees youth leagues in the country, was preventing her son, and other children who aren’t citizens, from playing.
An IBA spokesman told JTA that requiring citizenship for youth league membership is common around the world. — jta