Knicks' Amar'e Stoudemire Taking Games Off To Grieve

02/08/2012
. (TMZ) Amar'e Stoudemire will be missing the next three Knicks games to spend time grieving with his family after his brother was killed in a car accident Monday morning -- TMZ has learned.

Amar'e -- who has already missed one game over the tragedy -- tells us, "I am going to take a few days to be with my family and grieve the loss of my big brother, Hazell Stoudemire."

He adds, "I am humbled by all of the thoughts and prayers I have received. Sources close to the basketball star tell us, the bereavement leave will cost the Knicks three additional games without their star forward.

We're told Amar'e is expected to return when the Knicks face off against the Raptors on February 14th -- all depending on how he feels.

It's a crushing blow to the team -- especially after Carmelo Anthony strained his groin this week against the Jazz -- but with former benchwarmer Jeremy Lin shocking the world with massive scoring runs ... it might not be so bad. more on this story

TMZ submitted this story.
Copyright TMZ - Excerpted here with permission.

Knicks Tour Dates/Tickets

Knicks T-shirts and Posters

Share this article