Stoudemire was born in Lake Wales, Florida. His father, Hazell, died of a heart attack when Stoudemire was 12, and his mother, Carrie, was in and out of prison during that time.[4][5]
As a result, he attended six different high schools—among them Mount Zion Christian Academy—before graduating from Cypress Creek High School in Orlando, Florida.[5] He told Isaac Perry in an article for Dime Magazine that what kept him going in that time period was God and the words of rapper Tupac Shakur.
He did not start playing organized basketball until he was 14.[6] Stoudemire only played two years of high school-level basketball, but in those two years he was named the MVP of the Nike Summer League. He committed to play at the University of Memphis, but never attended the school.
Instead, he declared for the NBA draft because of his desire to help his family quickly. The Phoenix Suns decided on him with the ninth pick in the 2002 NBA Draft due to a need for inside strength at the time. Phoenix was the only team that year to select a high school player in the first round.