January 31, 2008 @ 1:33 pm

#1 Stunna: Amare Stoudemire Blogs

Amare Stoudemire

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The dazzling Phoenix Suns Center blogs the 2007-2008 NBA season - and much, much more - exclusively for VIBE.com. Second entry.

New Years for me was a really great one. I went to Vegas to attend the Kanye West concert. It was a lot of fun! His energy was amazing. I was there with great friends of mine. Some of my teammates were there and players from other teams, like Kobe Bryant and his wife, Larry Johnson of the Chiefs. It was a really great way to spend New Years. We sat in a suite that looked right over the stage. It was beautiful event. Kanye's one of the best performers that I have ever seen. I have great respect for him, his music is so touching.

What I normally do around New Years is, I make three resolutions. Those three resolutions are what kind of carries me throughout the year. During New Year's time, I look back on the year prior to see how much I have grown. It's more of an evaluation time for me... see what things went well, where I can improve, and what some of my hopes are for the coming year.

My first resolution is to read out loud as much as possible. I want this to help me with different projects, like if I ever wanted to pursue an acting career or for when I do anything other than my basketball, such reading a teleprompter when I'm shooting a commercial. I know actors are always working on their speaking voice, so they sound clear when they're in a film… and since I'm in the spotlight, I want to keep working on my speaking, so I come across the best I can at all times.

Another resolution is to organize my internal team and brand to make sure we are all moving towards the right direction. I want my brand to be like a Fortune 500 brand... as I think any athlete should try to achieve. I think to have a successful brand like Jordan or Magic, it's important to always get the team together to make sure everything's straight.

My third one is become a student of the game... I want to be a nerd as far as basketball goes. I'm going to dedicate myself to studying other players, studying my team, reading more about it... do whatever I can to become a true basketball genius.

I know the holidays can be a hectic time for people, and I think it's always cool to grow and expand as a person... learning and growing from every past year to help the new year that is about to start. It's always great to make sure you're going on the right path.

We just got back from a really great road trip. I feel really positive about the team and where we're at. Before that, we were in LA for almost a week. I did a photoshoot with one of the best photographers I've worked with, Kurt Iswarienko, for Risen Magazine. The interviewer Chris Ahrens was a really spiritual guy. I felt like we were just conversating, and it wasn't like I was actually getting interviewed. You can tell both he and the photographer really love their jobs. Chris ended the interview with asking me where I will be in 10,000 years... good question! I've never been asked anything like that before... it really made me think and reflect on things.

There are always a lot of things going on at the beginning of the year. Super Bowl is in Phoenix this week. Me and Puff are having the Super Bowl party here in Glendale... it is going to be a lot of fun... definitely star-studded. I'm looking forward to it because it will really draw in a lot of good people. Floyd Mayweather is doing something out here, as well as Snoop, Pamela Anderson, Playboy, and the list goes on.... I don't think there isn't a celebrity that isn't making it out here. Super Bowl always such a huge event for all. I'm going to tell people to get ready to come back here to Phoenix again for the NBA Finals!

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