Chris Bosh was officially inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday night, and three of his former Miami Heat teammates — LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Ray Allen — were in attendance to show their support. Bosh played with Wade for six seasons in Miami, while he suited up alongside James for four seasons and Allen for two. Bosh’s Heat made four straight Finals appearances from 2011 to 2014 and won back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013.
The support from his former teammates likely meant a whole lot to Bosh, who reflected on what it was like entering the league alongside James in 2003, getting to watch him blossom into a star, and ultimately suiting up alongside him to chase championships.
“The first time I saw LeBron play was in the summertime of 2001. He was 16. Back then, he was the best player I had ever seen,” Bosh said. “Seeing him play, he pretty much always set the tone for that class, but to watch him ascend to greatness, to actually do those things — they were calling him the “Chosen One” — to be able to deliver on those promises, actually be a great ball player but more importantly a great teammate, it’s been great to call him a friend, a teammate, and a co-champ.”
In addition to addressing the highs of his career like playing with James, Bosh also touched on the lows as he discussed the difficulty of being forced to walk away from the game and end his career at 31 due to blood clots.
“After finally making it to the mountaintop with so much more to do — in my mind, so much more work to do — it all stopped,” Bosh said. “I eventually came to realize that we all have it in our power to make the most out of every day despite what happens, to turn setbacks into strengths.”
Due to his early retirement, Bosh became the first member of Miami’s vaunted “Big Three” to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but he certainly won’t be the last. Wade, who retired in 2019, will assuredly be inducted as soon as he becomes eligible in the next few years after a lengthy and well-decorated career, while James is also a stone-cold lock to be enshrined whenever he ultimately decides to call it a career.
