Chris Bosh decides 'not to pursue' NBA career anymore
Chris Bosh said he will no longer pursue an NBA career after having not played in the league since the 2015-16 season. He’ll retire at the same time his jersey is retired next month by the Miami Heat.
He spoke with Bill Simmons of The Ringer about it for the podcast (h/t Bleacher Report):
“That part of my life is over. That has been a tough thing to deal with but I’m good, which has taken a long time [for me to accept] … I could have kept playing. But man, that time has passed. I’ve made the decision not to pursue it anymore.”
The 11-time All-Star and two-time NBA champion last played with the Miami Heat at 31 years old, but blood clots kept him out. He later failed a physical.
The Heat will retire his jersey March 26 and Bosh noted he might tear up “knowing that that part of my life is over.”
“That has been a tough thing to deal with, but I’m good,” he said.
Bosh said as recently as a year ago he was trying “pretty adamantly” to return and would have taken a lesser role with a pay cut.
“Just give me like $12 [million], $15 [million], sit down and let the young guys do it,” he said. “I can mosey on back on defense. I don’t really have to try that hard on defense.”
Bosh averaged 19.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game over his 13-year career. The Toronto Raptors drafted him with the fourth overall pick in the 2003 draft.
He joined Dwyane Wade and LeBron James in Miami in 2010 and the “Big Three” led the Heat to the NBA Finals all four years they were together. They won the back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013.
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