NBA Star Amar’e Stoudemire Has an Idea to Extend the Art Boom
The player is building a museum-quality personal collection, with plans to connect the sports world to the art world.
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Miami Heat player Amar’e Stoudemire watched the way the fashion and sports worlds have connected in recent years—with Anna Wintour sitting courtside for tennis and basketball games, and players like him, Russell Westbrook, and Victor Cruz sitting front row at Fashion Week—and he had an idea. What if he could connect the stars of sport with the art community?
The logic goes this way: Top pro athletes have the money to spend on art. Emerging artists need that money to survive and continue making art, and the exposure of having famous collectors can go a long way toward building a name and a career. By connecting the two previously distinct groups, Stoudemire hopes to help both—financially and culturally.