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Bosh ‘at peace’ with retirement as Heat retire his number
MIAMI, March 27, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Chris Bosh, who joined LeBron James and
Dwyane Wade as the Miami Heat’s “Big Three” before blood clots ended his NBA
career, saw his jersey No. 1 retired by the Heat on Tuesday.
Bosh turned up with his two NBA championship rings to be feted at
AmericanAirlines Arena, where his jersey was raised to the rafters to hang
alongside those of Heat greats Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway and Shaquille
O’Neal.
No doubt those of Wade, James and Udonis Haslem will one day join them. In
the meantime Wade, playing what he says is his final NBA season, was content
to introduce Bosh during the halftime ceremony, which followed video montages
of some of Bosh’s signature moments in a Heat uniform.
Bosh, who turned 35 on Sunday, said that in 2016, after blood clots
returned in his leg after first appearing on his lungs, he would not have
contemplated a night like Tuesday.
“I didn’t even think of retirement,” he said. “I was more so concentrated
on what was next for the team, what was next for myself, the next practice
the next day, the next game, to get better. That was my mindset at the time.
“For everything to happen so fast, it just shows you how things can
change.
“I’m humbled, I’m grateful for the experience that I’ve had here and in
the league as a whole, and I have a different mindset now.
“Although we all do something and we get to experience things, you’ve got
to cherish it because you never know when it’s going to stop.”
For a time Bosh stubbornly resisted the idea that he would have to retire,
but he said that now he is “100 percent at peace” with retirement.
Bosh spent his first seven seasons with the Toronto Raptors, and when he
joined superstars James and Wade in Miami in 2010 he was no longer the face
of a franchise.
His individual stats declined as he became one of a leading trio, but the
Heat contended for titles and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra still appreciates the
adjustment Bosh made.
“You’re talking about somebody that was 25, 26 years old that was face of
the franchise for his team that drafted him, goes into free agency, could’ve
gotten full max contracts from multiple teams, but he chose to come here,
sacrificed financially and — just as importantly — sacrificed a role,”
Spoelstra said.
Bosh said that even more than the titles, he’ll remember the camaraderie
of his Heat years.
“A lot of the older guys say, ‘Oh yeah, you’re going to remember the bus
rides,’ and it’s true,” he said.
“Because those are the times when guys are trying to figure things out,
picking guys up when guys are down, usually getting through the tough moments
and having those moments of vulnerability with some of the best to play the
game and share those experiences — not only do that, but prevail.”
BSS/AFP/MR/ 1244 hrs