NBA Star Amar'e Stoudemire Weds Longtime Girlfriend Alexis Welch In Small Ceremony

Amar’e Stoudemire, 28, wants to win an NBA championship ring this year. But it won’t be as special as the ring he put on this past Wednesday. The New York Knicks star tied the knot with longtime partner Alexis Welch in a small, private ceremony.

The setting was the rooftop of their Manhattan apartment, complete with a Jewish chuppah. Stoudemire in recent years has expressed a deep interest in the Jewish faith. The newlywed couple invited only 12 guests to the wedding, to symbolize the date 12-12-12. The attendees were mostly family members, including the couple’s children. No teammates of Stoudemire’s were present — in fact, most of them didn’t even know he was getting married.

Stoudemire and Welch have been a couple for 10 years and have three children together. They were engaged this past June while vacationing in Paris. He proposed with an 8 �-carat diamond engagement ring designed by Shayan Ashfar.

The bride wore a custom dress, while Stoudemire wore a tuxedo by Calvin Klein. Welch’s wedding ring is from Harry Glinberg, while Stoudemire’s was designed by Ashfar. The couple finished their ceremony and then attended the 12-12-12 benefit concert at Madison Square Garden, according to the New York Daily News.

Stoudemire took to Facebook and Twitter to celebrate his nuptials, writing “12-12-12 now has a special & spiritual meaning for us…,” also posting a picture of their rings.

Stoudemire has missed the beginning of the season with a knee injury. It’s been reported that he would like to return sometime around Christmas. His team is off to their best start in almost 20 years, sporting a 16-5 record, tops in the Eastern Conference.

The couple plans to have a bigger ceremony for friends and NBA teammates this summer.

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