It's been three years since Chris Bosh has been able to play in the NBA due to life-threatening blood clots. After trying to break back into the league, he's finally conceded it's time to call it a career.
Though it seemed like Bosh was resisting hanging up his jersey after his blood clot diagnosis, he has accepted that he won't be suiting up to go back on the hardwoods again.
"I’m able to focus on being a father, being a man in society, being a husband," Bosh said of spending time off the court, via Sports Illustrated. Those things take a great amount of attention, and that’s what’s necessary to keep the legacy going. I have three boys and two girls, it’s extremely important that I guide them and show them how to be decent human beings. That’s what I’ve been happiest to give the most time to. And building on the future.
"There are so many other things outside the game, there are other worlds out there. And it’s a challenge for me to redefine myself. Can I be as great at something else as I was at basketball? I just have to find that and bring it out."
Another venture he's gone into that may surprise fans is music — Bosh said he's trying to break into the industry as a producer.
"I’m an aspiring record producer," Bosh said. "I’ve made many friends, I’ve had a lot of conversations, I’ve had some great moments making music with people, learning about music. Putting records together, working with artists, that has brought me a lot of joy. And I’m glad that I’m in a place where I can really, really put myself into that and learn the craft.
"It’s been four years now. I’m getting better and more savvy in the space. I’m super happy that I have music. That was another thing, when I asked myself, what am I going to do? I had a guitar in my hand, and the next thing you know I was producing music."
Bosh, 35, had been in the league since 2003, when he was taken fourth overall in the NBA Draft by the Raptors.
He remained in Toronto until 2010, when he was signed as a free agent to the Heat, along with other free agents LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. In Miami, he won back-to-back championships from 2012-13, solidifying himself as a member of the Heat's Big Three.
It was after James left to return to the Cavaliers in 2014 that things unraveled for Bosh and came to a head in 2015, when a blood clot was discovered in his lungs. He returned the following season, but more blood clots caused Bosh to be sidelined indefinitely.
In 2017, the Heat viewed Bosh's blood clots as a career-ending illness, and Miami announced it would be retiring his No. 1 jersey Tuesday. Bosh said with the retirement of his jersey, he officially will end his time in the NBA.
