Chris Bosh played basketball today for the first time in eight years during Goran Dragicโs retirement game.
Reflecting on Retirement:
Bosh, who had to retire early due to a blood clot issue, shared his feelings with Mindaugas Bertys of BasketNews. He said, โIt was very tough. It was the death of my career, to be honest. Any time dealing with loss and death and stuff like that, you go through grief. I had to do that for a few years. I got over it. I believe it made me stronger. It made me focus on being more of a father.โ
Memories with the Heat:
Bosh and Dragic were teammates for a season and a half after Dragic joined the Heat in 2015. Bosh won two championships with Miami and played in four NBA Finals alongside LeBron James starting from 2011.
With an impressive career average of 19.2 points and 8.5 rebounds over 893 games, Bosh was an 11-time All-Star and entered the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.
Fans really miss seeing him play.
Though he wished his career lasted longer, Bosh looks back fondly on his time in the NBA: โIt all went good,โ he said. โA couple of championships. Got to meet some great people, have some great teammates, great stories, great locker rooms. Iโm a lucky guy.โ
Turning Down Europe:
After not getting medical clearance from the NBA, Bosh had offers to play in Europe but chose not to risk his health or move his family abroad: โI wasnโt in a position where I wanted to up and move my family,โ he explained. “I took it as a sign and continued to move on.”
Dragic’s Big Night:
During Dragicโs farewell game, he wowed everyone with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists according to Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops (https://www.eurohoops.net/en/nba-news/1709461/goran-dragic-farewell-game-retirement-night-of-the-dragon-ljubljana-slovenia/). The event featured stars like Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Luis Scola, Dirk Nowitzki, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Steve Nash.
There was even a fun one-on-one match between Dragic and his brother Zoran while their parents acted as referee and scorekeeper!
