The Miami Heat honored the now-retired Chris Bosh with a jersey retirement ceremony on Wednesday before the team took on the Orlando Magic. Bosh played for the Heat for three seasons during the team’s championship run from 2011 to 2014 with Dwayne Wade and LeBron James, helping Miami claim two championships in those three seasons.
In 2015, Bosh’s health took a turn for the worst when doctors discovered the now 35-year-old suffered from blood clots in lungs – a condition that threatened to end his career. The 11-time All-Star held out for a team to give him a look before he and Heat team president Pat Riley worked out a deal to amicably release Bosh in 2017.
Bosh officially announced his retirement from the NBA during his speech at the ceremony. Bosh now joins Shaquille O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning, and Tim Hardaway, Sr. as the only Heat players to have their jerseys in the rafters.
Joined by his wife Adrienne and their four young children, and his father, Bosh looked on as Riley dubbed him “forever and always a lifer of the Miami Heat.” The current heat team looked on as well as head coach Chris Bosh and fellow Heat favorites Dwayne Wade and Udonis Haslem.
James, whose Lakers were hosting the Washington Wizards the same night was unable to attend. Hours before the ceremony, James sent a message to Bosh through reporters saying “I don’t win my championships in Miami without him — without you.”
“I wish I could be there, man, to see that number one [jersey] go into the rafters.”
LeBron James with some words for his former teammate Chris Bosh ahead of CB's jersey retirement ? pic.twitter.com/H0RNtRwxB2
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) March 26, 2019
The Heat tribute included a video that highlighted Bosh’s tenure with the team including the infamous introduction pep rally to the integral plays he made during the team’s playoff and Finals runs.
Dope video tribute from the Miami Heat for Chris Bosh ?#ThankYouChr1s pic.twitter.com/iZQMOzJDDR
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) March 27, 2019
“My whole career I just wanted to play in front of passionate fans every night and you guys made that come true,” Bosh said while addressing the crowd during the ceremony.
“And when our backs were against the wall in game six – you guys may not know this – but you have my legs that extra spring, that spirit that I needed to keep my head in the game and grab the biggest rebound in NBA history, Bosh said.”
The entire ceremony can be seen here.
