Amar'e Stoudemire's Brother Dies in Car Crash

Amar'e Stoudemire's older brother, Hazell Stoudemire, has tragically passed away as a result of a car accident in Florida.

TMZ was the first to report the extremely sad news.

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The accident happened on Route 27 in Lake Wales. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Stoudemire was driving at a "high rate of speed" when he collided with the rear of a tractor trailer.

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Stoudemire passed away at the scene of the accident and it has been revealed that he was not wearing a seat belt at the time of impact.

The Ledger in Lakeland, Florida had further details.

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About 1:42 a.m., just south of Chalet Suzanne Road, Stoudemire, who was traveling at a high rate of speed, collided with the trailer, the FHP report said.

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As to be expected, Stoudemire will not be playing for the Knicks in their game tonight against the Jazz.

My prayers, condolences and thoughts go out to Amar'e and the rest of the Stoudemire family at this extremely difficult time.

Death is always a difficult thing to process and cope with and it is always sad to learn of someone's passing at such a young age.

Hazell was only 35 years old.

The New York Knicks released this tweet, but have not yet released an official statement.

The Stoudemire family has also not released an official statement at this time, but this is a time for family to support one another, not one for addressing the media.

There are things in life that are much, much bigger than basketball.

This is just absolutely devastating for Amar'e and we will be updating readers on the story as it continues to develop throughout the day.