As this new NBA season slowly approaches, teams will sport new rosters and lineups with hopes of a better season than the last. The Miami Heat, in particular, is simply looking for a new start. Earlier in the offseason, they said goodbye to Dwayne Wade, who brought them their only three NBA championships in franchise history. Now, they will most likely repeat the same with Chris Bosh, the last player remaining from their “Big Three” era.
Unlike with Wade, the Heat is doing what is best with Bosh. The team announced last Friday that he failed his physical because of more blood clotting issues. The first episode happened in Feb. 2015 when a clot traveled from his leg to one of his lungs. He was hospitalized for a week and missed the rest of the season.
The next year, he was sidelined for the same reason and missed the last half of the regular season. Now with this failed physical, it is clear Miami Heat physicians do not believe it is safe for Bosh to return to the court, even though he strongly disagrees. The 32-year-old can fight all he wants, but it is certain these clots will not go away.
He needs to retire. There comes a time in which you have to do what is best for you. Basketball is not worth losing your life when you can live another 32 years.
His former teammate Lebron James expressed his thoughts and brought up a great point. “I think his health and his family is the most important thing. Basketball is a huge part of our lives, and obviously he wants to be on the floor. But as a friend I want him to be as healthy as possible,” James said.
His life is not worth risking when he has five young children and a loving wife who depend on him for so much more than money. He will have more time throughout the year to spend teaching his kids the ways of life. There will even be some time for a few lessons about basketball, too.
Bosh has already cemented his legacy as an 11-time all-star. In seven years, he became the Toronto Raptor’s all-time leader in points, rebounds, blocks, etc. In six seasons for the Heat, he became a two-time NBA champion. He was even on the 2008 Team USA that won gold in Beijing. What more does he need to do?
He can retire now knowing he has two cities that will forever be indebted to him for his contributions to their success and history. One day his jersey might even be retired in Toronto. He can also retire, playing his last season on a contender. They might not have won the championship, even with him healthy, but it’s better than how other greats have left the game.
If he does continue his career, it won’t be as easy going as it has been. He will join a new team and will have to deal with all of the hurdles that come with it, like building team chemistry and finding his niche in a new system. He undoubtedly will forever have to monitor his body with utmost caution. This is all, of course, only if another team is willing to take that chance on him, which I don’t see.
He has proven that he can be a team’s number one guy, and he can also be a team’s third option. He impacts a game in every way possible, but it’s his adaptability and ability to roll with the punches and still succeed that makes him great. It is time to accept the fact that it is not in his best interest to play anymore. Hang up the jersey Chris Bosh… for yourself.
