Amar'e Stoudemire chose to retire from the NBA to sign a two-year deal with Hapoel Jerusalem this offseason.

"I felt like I didn't want to just wait around and be the last guy on the roster, I don't want to end my career that way," Stoudemire told Reuters.

"I want to end my career on a good, healthy note so that's when I decided to retire (from the National Basketball Association)," he said after a news conference with Israeli media in Jerusalem.

Stoudemire discussed contracts but he "didn't want to play for a team that didn't have a chance for a title."

Stoudemire admitted it will be an adjustment playing in Israel and Europe just as it was coming out of high school to play in Phoenix. "But I want to make sure that I am going to play here while I still have good health," he said.