On Sept. 11, 2021, Chris Bosh will be inducted into The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The No. 4 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, Bosh retired with career averages of 19.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 blocks per game. He earned 11 All-Star selections in his Hall of Fame career and one All-NBA Second Team selection, in addition to winning two championships as a member of the Miami Heat.
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Ahead of his induction, our NBA.com Staff remembers their favourite moments of Bosh's career.
Scott Rafferty (@crabdribbles): No surprises here, but I'll never forget the plays Bosh made down the stretch of Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals.
Everyone remembers the offensive rebound that led to Ray Allen's iconic 3-pointer to force overtime — for good reason, because it's one of the most memorable sequences in NBA history — but it's easy to forget that Bosh made not one, but two incredible defensive plays in the closing minute of the extra period.
First, Bosh switched onto the shifty Tony Parker and used his long arms to block his midrange jumper.
Second, Bosh switched onto Danny Green on the final possession of the game and blocked his 3-point attempt that would've tied it back up and sent it into a second overtime.
If it weren't for those plays from Bosh, the Heat don't force a Game 7 and win back-to-back championships. It's that simple.
Gilbert McGregor (@GMcGregor21): Because his star didn't necessarily shine as bright as that of LeBron James or Dwyane Wade, Bosh's time with the Heat is often underrated in the grand scheme.
For me, he always was ready to provide people with a reminder when either of his other two superstar teammates was out with an injury.
It's Dec. 28, 2013, and the Heat were without LeBron as they were in Portland to take on a Trail Blazers team that entered the night with a 24-5 record. In James' absence, Bosh went off for 37 points on 15-for-26 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds.
But on that night, nothing was more memorable than Bosh's triple to give Miami a 108-107 lead with 0.5 seconds left on the clock, capping off a perfect 3-for-3 night from downtown.
Everything about this is incredible, from Wade's pass to Bosh's celebration to LeBron going ballistic on the sidelines and placing his jacket on Bosh like he was James Brown once the game ended.
During the Big Three era, Bosh almost always executed his role to a T, and his ability to step up when another star was out should absolutely be talked about more.
Benyam Kidane (@BenyamKidane): Following from Gil's point, Chris Bosh always reminded everyone how good he really was in Miami with Dwyane Wade and LeBron James on the sidelines, so I can't look past his game-winning performance against the San Antonio Spurs in 2013.
With both these teams almost destined to meet in the NBA Finals, the cat-and-mouse game between coaches Erik Spoelstra and Gregg Popovich began in the regular season, with Popovich resting four starters in Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Danny Green and Tim Duncan for the first meeting in Miami, which resulted in a $250,000 fine from the league.
Miami won that game by five points and Spoelstra returned serve in San Antonio, resting Wade, LeBron and Mario Chalmers, who were nursing injuries, leaving Bosh to be the main man against the Spurs.
On the road in San Antonio, with all starters back minus Ginobili, Bosh poured in 23 points, nine rebounds and three assists, knocking down the game-winning triple with the Heat down by one point to seal an 88-86 win and sweep the season series.
Looking back at his impact in the Finals just a couple months later against the Spurs, the subtext of this regular-season game was just a pre-cursor for what was to come — Bosh stepping up in the big moments for his team.
Yash Matange (@yashmatange2694): Scott nailed it. For me, Bosh's most iconic moments are without doubt that rebound-and-assist to Ray Allen followed by the block on Danny Green in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals.
That said, I'll go next best and it's super corny but it's when the Miami Heat retired the big man's No. 1 jersey.
Like the rest of the guys said, Bosh's contribution and value as part of the Big 3 is so often understated. So, when he got his jersey retired, the ovation and appreciation he got from Heat nation at the FTX Arena (formerly known as American Airlines Arena) was amazing and heart-warming to watch.
It made you re-visit his career - the Toronto days, the struggles, the achievements, the gold medal, the championships, all of it. And to think, he leaves behind this incredible legacy when he couldn't even play out his 'playing days' as blood clots forced him out of action in his early 30s (32).
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