Congratulations to Chris Bosh who is having his No. 1 jersey retired by the Miami Heat on Tuesday.
Prior to his time with the Heat, Bosh had an incredible run with the Toronto Raptors:
- Fourth overall pick in 2003 NBA Draft
- Five All-Star appearances in seven seasons
- First Raptors player with 10,000 career points
- Toronto's all-time leader in Win Shares
MORE: Chris Bosh announces retirement
We put it to our NBA.com staff to debate Bosh's place among the all-time Toronto Raptors.
Gilbert McGregor (@GMcGregor21): For me, Chris Bosh places third among all-time Toronto Raptors.
When I think of the Raptors I first think of Vince Carter, then DeMar DeRozan, and then Bosh. Interestingly enough, the timelines of the aforementioned three permitted a very clear-cut passing of the torch – Bosh was Carter's teammate for 93 games before he was traded to New Jersey, and before Bosh left Toronto via free agency in 2010, he spent a full season as DeRozan's teammate.
While Carter places first for establishing the relevance of the franchise and DeRozan comes second for leading the team to new heights, Bosh's impact as the leader of the first team to win the franchise's first division title was the perfect bridge between eras. That, and the fact he was such a dominant force during his final years as a Raptor seal his position
Micah Adams (@MicahAdams13): I have him fourth.
An incredible talent and perhaps the most productive frontcourt player in the Eastern Conference during his time with the Raptors, Bosh was at the height of his powers a 24-11 machine with a feathery touch from almost anywhere. Though he didn't develop a 3-point shot until his time in Miami, Bosh served as one of the league's better big man finishers outside of the paint long before it became en vogue to do so.
As great as he was, I don't think Bosh had the totality of impact of Vince Carter or DeMar DeRozan, two Raptors icons in their own distinct ways. Given the Raptors only finished with one winning season and never made it past the first round with Bosh, I'd argue that even Kawhi Leonard has had a larger impact in terms of elevating the Raptors into relevance among casual NBA fans, even though he's been with the team all of nine months.
James McKern (@jLmcKern): Vince Carter is the clear cut number one, with DeMar DeRozan sitting in the two spot. I then have Bosh sitting third all-time for the Raptors.
Despite being one of the best strech bigs in the league, Bosh didn't gain widespread notoriety until he took his talents to South Beach and joined LeBron James and Dwyane Wade for the Heat's dominant stretch. His seven season run with the Raptors came to an end with him as the all-time leader in points (DeRozan since past him), rebounds (both offensive and defensive) and blocks.
He'll long be remembered as a key cog in the Heat's championship run, but it was his dominance with the Raptors that put Bosh on the map and his place in Toronto's all-time top three players should be set in stone.
Carlan Gay (@TheCarlanGay): For me, Vince Carter was the most impactful Raptor player of all-time and he'll always sit at one. DeMar DeRozan is the most accomplished and he'll sit at two until further notice.
Bosh slots in at three, and to be honest, that's not a bad spot for him. Bosh was the face of the franchise when VC left and while everyone excepted the team to fall off into the lottery, CB4 not only kept them afloat, he became an All-Star.
When the Raptors won their first division title, he was there. When very few players were averaging 20 and 10, Bosh did that. He kept the Raptors on the map until he left and Raptors fans should be thankful for that.
He may one day get passed by Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry or another Raptor, but right now he's in the top three.