Former NBA player Amar’e Stoudemire was arrested early Sunday in a domestic violence incident involving his daughter, according to court documents.
Stoudemire, 40, was arrested just after 1 a.m. Sunday at his Miami condo unit and booked into the Miami-Dade County jail on a misdemeanor battery charge. Authorities alleged he punched and slapped his unnamed daughter, according to the arrest affidavit and an online jail record that was available earlier Sunday.
In a statement posted to his Instagram account, the former player who extended his career by playing in Israel, steadfastly denied the allegations. He suggested the case was built on inaccuracies contained in that affidavit, and he noted that such behavior would not be consistent with his Jewish faith.
"As the investigation unfolds, the facts will show the allegations to be groundless, as my daughter's medical condition is not the result of being assaulted by a father who is nearly 7 feet tall and weighs nearly 250 pounds," he said.
"I could never see myself assaulting any person, specially my children," he added.
Stoudemire — whom the arrest affidavit lists as being 6-feet-10 and 255 pounds — is alleged to have rushed into his daughter's room and "asked her why she was giving attitude" after her grandmother apparently called her name and she responded with, "What?"
The daughter is alleged to have told Stoudemire she didn't have an attitude, and the document alleges that he responded with "you're talking back again" before he punched her in the jaw and slapped her on her face and body, causing a bloody nose.
Police said that they "observed blood stains" on the victims' sweater and pants and that the daughter's mother showed them a picture she had received of the daughter crying with blood running down her face. The mother is alleged to have told police that Stoudemire "told her to come pick up the victim because she was being disrespectful."
When police arrived, Stoudemire said his daughter was sad "because she had received a whooping from him for being disrespectful and a liar," according to the arrest report. When police asked Stoudemire to elaborate, he invoked his right to remain silent, it says.
By noon ET Sunday, an online jail record showed that Stoudemire had submitted $1,500 bond but appeared to still be in custody. By 4 p.m., Stoudemire was no longer listed as being in custody on the site.
Stoudemire is a six-time NBA All-Star who played power forward and center for the Phoenix Suns, the Miami Heat, the Dallas Mavericks and the New York Knicks.
Stoudemire's penultimate Instagram post Saturday celebrated his graduation Friday from the University of Miami, where he earned a master's degree in business administration.
"The Greatest of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his willingness to LEARN, integrity and ability to affect those around him," he wrote in the caption.
The university also featured Stoudemire in a post on its feed Friday congratulating graduates.
A university spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.