This story has been clarified. Read below.
Amar'e Stoudemire, who signed a contract with the Knicks to formally retire with them, says he made overtures over the past two offseasons to play for the Phoenix Suns but "wasn't getting any positive response."
"That would've been the perfect way to go out," Stoudemire told The Arizona Republic on Thursday. "I didn't want to beg Phoenix. My heart was in two places -- Phoenix and New York. I just went where I was wanted."
Stoudemire did not indicate whether he asked the Suns about a similar deal to the one he signed with the Knicks. Stoudemire signed a one-year, non-guaranteed contract with New York on Tuesday before announcing his retirement.
"That would've been a heck of a way to finish," he told the Republic. "I wasn't just going to keep knocking on someone's door that wasn't going to answer."
Stoudemire, 33, averaged 18.9 points and 7.8 rebounds in 846 career games over 14 seasons for Phoenix, New York, Dallas and Miami, the first eight of which were for the Suns.
The 6-foot-10 forward/center was a six-time All-Star and an All-NBA first-team selection in 2006-07, forming one-half of a formidable pick-and-roll duo in Phoenix with point guard Steve Nash.
"I'm at peace with it because I gave everything that I had," Stoudemire told the newspaper. "It took a while. The game is such a beautiful game. I was truly in love with it, but there were no teams who needed my position."
Stoudemire was also named the 2003 NBA Rookie of the Year after entering the league directly from high school.
"They brought back Jared [Dudley] and Leandro [Barbosa], my boys," Stoudemire said of the Suns. "That would've been a heck of a way to finish. I wasn't just going to keep knocking on someone's door that wasn't going to answer.
"I love my fans in Phoenix. Most of my high times and highlights were in Phoenix. I put forth the effort to finish my career in Phoenix, but it wasn't well-received."
Information from ESPN staff writer Ian Begley was used in this report.
A July 29 story on ESPN.com mischaracterized Amar'e Stoudemire's intent to close out his career with the Suns.