NBA star Amar’e Stoudemire has a tattoo on his neck that reads Black Jesus, eventually leading to a nickname fans have given him because of his extraordinary skills on the basketball court. But after a recent discovery, Stoudemire may have more in common with Black Jesus than phenomenal talent.
The newly signed member of the New York Knicks has been in Israel since July 28 to dig up his roots, Haaretz.com, the web site for Israeli newspaper Ha’Aretz, reports.
Stoudemire used his Twitter account last week to inform the world he was heading for Jerusalem to learn about “who we [are].” According to Haaretz.com, the 27-year-old All-Star discovered his mother has Jewish roots and plans to continue his visit in Israel until he learns the Hebrew language.
“Jerusalem is a beautiful city, I’m at a cafe eating a late lunch,” Stoudemire tweeted on July 28. “I’m learning Hebrew by the min. Keep up!! Shalom.”
It remains unclear as to how Stoudemire discovered his mother’s Jewish history, but her arrest history has been well documented. Carrie Mae Stoudemire has been arrested several times on various charges related to drug and alcohol abuse, including a charge three months ago for driving erratically and driving without a court ordered breathalyzer ignition interlock device, TMZ.com reports.
