Mike D’Antoni wasn’t afraid to coach differently and Amar’e Stoudemire was ready for it

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Former Phoenix Suns coach Mike D’Antoni and his longtime big man with Phoenix and the New York Knicks, Amar’e Stoudemire, are two of the nine inductees entering the Naismith Hall of Fame this weekend in Springfield, Massachusetts.

But as Stoudemire and D’Antoni become forever enshrined in basketball history, it was their willingness to be different that helped them forge legendary careers. After years of coaching in the NBA and Italy, D’Antoni implemented the “7 seconds or less” offense once Steve Nash came back to Phoenix. The system is considered the catalyst for the fast, three-point-heavy offense that many NBA teams run today, and Stoudemire was the All-NBA big man who manned the paint for it.

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Going 31-4 to start the 2004-05 season, winning 54 or more games in four straight seasons and making the Western Conference Finals in two straight seasons, Phoenix separated itself from the competition through its willingness to play unconventionally. The “7 seconds or less” offense was designed to give players ample opportunities to score and make plays, which is why D’Antoni thinks players bought in.

“We went where everybody can eat. Instead of that guy posting up this guy all the time, or going to a specific spot with the ball every time, we let everybody feed, and boy, they just bought in and went with it,” D’Antoni said. “It’s easy also to put the team first when your stats are strong because everybody wants to earn money, and you got to earn money by having stats in a career year.”

Someone eager to play in the new offense? Stoudemire. Despite being one of the youngest players on the team and going from playing power forward to center, he wanted to set the tone for his teammates by accepting the change without any qualms.

“I wanted to be a team player. Obviously, I had goals and wanted to be the best and dominate and show the world how good I am, but I also was willing to be a team player, and I think for me as a leader, you want your teammates to be leaders also,” Stoudemire said.

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That leadership, he credits not just to D’Antoni but also to his “throwbacks,” as he…

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Publish date : 2026-08-16 19:00:00

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