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Chris Bosh reflects on defying death, Heat’s dealings with Giannis, LeBron
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- Chris Bosh reflects on defying death, Heat’s dealings with Giannis, LeBron
The constant with Chris Bosh since his NBA career came to an abrupt end in the middle of the 2015-16 season has been a sobering perspective on his own mortality, as well as an ongoing interest in the franchise that delivered him to championship heights.
The Hall of Fame forward who helped lead the Heat to NBA titles in 2012 and '13 as part of the team's Big Three era alongside LeBron James and Dwyane Wade , touched on both those topics in an interview with HoopsHype during an appearance representing USA Basketball at a three-on-three event in Southern California.
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In February, Bosh, 42, posted a somewhat cryptic video on social media about a health scare, noting, "So I woke up covered in my own blood. I was getting ready to go on a date with my wife, and the next thing you know I was on the ground."
During the interview at the USA Basketball event this past weekend that also included appearances by Kevin Durant and Mitch Richmond, Bosh offered clarity about that post and his health.
"I had an episode in January," Bosh clarified. "I almost dropped dead pretty much and came back to life. I'm not joking. Yeah. I had another pulmonary embolism. It was in January. Yeah, yeah, this past year. I was in the hospital for a week."
After Bosh suffered a second such episode during his Heat career, the team and NBA declined to make him eligible to return, leading to a contentious period that ended with a salary settlement and, ultimately, a resolution of differences that now has his Heat No. 1 hanging from the rafters at Kaseya Center.
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With San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wemanyama among NBA players who have worked their way back from blood clots, Bosh stressed that vigilance must remain ongoing with such issues.
"Take your medicine," said Bosh, who has become an advocate on such matters. "Make sure that he's staying on top of his regimen to make sure that doesn't happen again, because it only takes one more time. It happened one more time for me, it happened twice, and I couldn't play anymore."
But that hasn't left Bosh disinterested in the game.
Last month, in the wake of the Heat acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo , Bosh advocated in a social-media post for James, then a free agent, to return to the Heat.
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"If I were in LeBron James' shoes," Bosh said in the video , "I would choose Miami , and here's why: If you really think about it, where do people go when you're about to retire or you're retired? You know what I'm saying? . . . If it were me, if I were in LeBron James' shoes, I think Miami is the best choice."
James instead chose to play with Jaylen Brown , Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid with the Philadelphia 76ers , a decision Bosh said had Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan elements.
"I'm surprised, but I'm not surprised," Bosh said during the interview at the USA Basketball event. "You know, that was just my best pick. I was like, 'Hey, if I'm doing something, I'm going to go to Miami, if it was me.'
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"But Philly was a pretty good choice, too. So a lot of people call it ring chasing. Everybody chases rings. If you didn't think Kobe and Jordan were ring chasers too, you're crazy."
That, Bosh said, doesn't detract from the Heat gains made with the acquisition to pair Antetokounmpo with Bam Adebayo.
"With Giannis? I mean, it's classic Heat basketball," Bosh said. "They have a person that they believe they can build around, him and Bam, a great nucleus to hopefully get them to the next level. They're right in their wheelhouse. I always truly do believe that they want to leverage their future for a guy that can do it right now. They have that guy.
"And we'll see what happens. I'm sure they've got a couple more tricks up their sleeve because they need to build out the team a little bit still. But if they get some outside shooting, get another playmaker or two, I think they could be a really strong team."
