{"id":20968,"date":"2021-06-22T10:52:15","date_gmt":"2021-06-22T15:52:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=20968"},"modified":"2021-06-26T12:09:37","modified_gmt":"2021-06-26T17:09:37","slug":"chris-bosh-who-is-a-nba-hall-of-famer-musician-husband-father-and-just-a-great-human-being-recalls-basketball-journey-with-new-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=20968","title":{"rendered":"Chris Bosh, WHO IS A NBA HALL OF FAMER, MUSICIAN, HUSBAND, FATHER, AND JUST A GREAT HUMAN BEING, Recalls Basketball Journey With New Book"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Chris Bosh on the Sudden, \u2018Surreal\u2019 End of His NBA Career<\/h1>\n

The Miami Heat star and newly elected Hall of Famer is sharing what he learned with a new generation of young athletes<\/h2>\n

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Chris Bosh didn\u2019t know it at the time, but his final NBA game was on Feb. 9, 2016. He was 31 years old and in the prime of his career, an 11-time All-Star player who had helped lead the Miami Heat to two championships and had every expectation of winning a third. But a blood-clot problem that cut short his 2015 season had returned, and doctors warned that playing basketball could kill him.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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It was \u201csurreal,\u201d says Mr. Bosh, 37, over the phone from his home in Austin, Tex. \u201cI was in the best shape of my life.\u201d He seethed as he watched season after season from the sidelines, nudged into early retirement by bad luck. \u201cIt\u2019s not like I did anything wrong. It just happened,\u201d he says. He bristled when friends told him he simply needed to find something else to do. \u201cI had given my life to basketball,\u201d he says. \u201cYou don\u2019t get to that level without making huge sacrifices.\u201d He had no plans for a second act.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In search of something steadying in a disorienting time, Mr. Bosh turned to writing. He found it cathartic to let his sadness and frustration guide his pen, to \u201cget all the crap out\u201d on the page. Scribbling his thoughts also helped him to reach a kind of acceptance, he says, \u201clike going through the weeds with a machete to find the temple.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Instead of grasping for answers, Bosh found himself asking more thoughtful questions\u2014Who am I now? What else do I enjoy?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Instead of ruing his misfortune, he found himself marveling at his achievements, which include an Olympic gold medal in 2008. This week came the announcement that Mr. Bosh has been elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame; he and 15 other honorees will be inducted at a ceremony in September. Instead of grasping for answers, he found himself asking more thoughtful questions\u2014Who am I now? What else do I enjoy?\u2014and pondering the lessons that have given his life meaning.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The result is his new book, \u201cLetters to a Young Athlete,\u201d three years in the making, which will be published by Penguin Press next month. Part memoir, part life manual, the book is something that Mr. Bosh wishes he could have read back when he was an unseasoned rookie, full of bravado and big dreams. He writes about the value of sweat, the importance of humility and the need to cultivate both the brain and the body. (He spent his off-seasons learning to write computer code, taking guitar lessons and practicing his Spanish, among other things.) Although he draws from his own experiences, Mr. Bosh says that the book is meant for anyone who aspires to greatness in any field: \u201cI want this book to help people. I want people to know it takes hard work to achieve your goals.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Chris Bosh dunks while playing for the Miami Heat, February 2013.<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Growing up in south Dallas, Mr. Bosh was a bookish honors student who whiled away countless hours in his school\u2019s Whiz Kid computer club. But basketball \u201cwas more or less my life\u201d starting in the fourth grade, he writes. A 6\u20197\u201d high-school freshman, he was 6\u201911\u201d by the time he graduated, and he knew how to hustle, becoming the Texas high school player of the year. He loved the sport but needed it, too, if he hoped to afford college. \u201cBasketball was the only ticket,\u201d he says. \u201cI was lucky to have it.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mr. Bosh got a full ride to Georgia Tech, where he planned to study graphic design. But he found it hard to balance his academic interests with the demands of the team, which were so intense that \u201cThe first time I saw my schedule, I thought it must be a typo,\u201d he says. Although college athletics is a billion-dollar business, he notes that bans on compensating student athletes meant he often struggled to pay for groceries. He now believes that colleges should not only pay athletes but also better prepare them for the economics of going professional. \u201cI want people to understand that most of the athletes they watch are coming from poverty,\u201d he says. \u201cA million-dollar bonus does not come with wisdom about money.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2003, when he was 19, Mr. Bosh left college for the Toronto Raptors, which chose him as the fourth pick in the NBA draft. In Canada he was a big fish in a cold, little pond, a star player on a middling team. He found the ethnic mix of his Toronto neighborhood refreshingly unlike the default segregation he knew back home. But after seven years on the team, he grew tired of the sense that he was playing in obscurity. \u201cI wanted to be part of the cool kids\u2019 party,\u201d he says. \u201cI thought, \u2018Man, what are we doing wrong over here?\u2019\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2010, Mr. Bosh and LeBron James joined Dwyane Wade in Miami, launching the most successful era in the team\u2019s history as \u201cthe Big Three.\u201d Playing for the Heat demanded a shift in strategy: Instead of racking up points on offense, as he had in Toronto, he used his 7\u20194\u201d wingspan to anchor the team\u2019s defense, and left most of the shooting to \u201cBron and D.\u201d His new role offered less \u201cglory,\u201d Mr. Bosh says, but the Heat consistently scored more when he was on the floor. \u201cI\u2019ve always said from day one, CB is our most important player,\u201d said Erik Spoelstra, the Heat\u2019s coach, in 2014. \u201cThe average fan doesn\u2019t appreciate what he does for us.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

But instead of earning praise for prizing the success of the team over the needs of his ego, Mr. Bosh found himself raked over the media coals. \u201cBlindsided\u201d by the white-hot glare of public scrutiny, he admits that he read everything written about him, including a 2010 series on the Bleacher Report website called \u201cEverybody Hates Chris.\u201d Addled by the constant criticism, he began second-guessing his every move. \u201cThe game stopped being fun,\u201d he writes. \u201cI wanted to win to spite people.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

With time, Mr. Bosh learned to \u201ctoughen up\u201d and pay less attention to the haters. He concluded that it was the job of some sports journalists to turn hardworking athletes into stock characters and story lines. He worked to silence the noise by concentrating on what he could control: hitting the gym, watching tape and figuring out the best way to show up for his team. He calmed himself before games by reading books and listening to classical music. \u201cCriticism is a tax on success,\u201d he writes. The best way to cope, he found, was to budget for it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mr. Bosh spent years seeking medical clearance to play again. But he has found peace in retirement, devoting time to refining his writing, dabbling in hip-hop production, and spending more time with his wife, Adrienne, and their five children, who range in age from 5 to 12.<\/strong><\/p>\n

After years of jammed fingers, twisted ankles and pushing his body past its limit\u2014the \u201cprimary sensation in an athlete\u2019s life\u201d is \u201cexhaustion,\u201d he writes\u2014Mr. Bosh enjoys the novelty of climbing the stairs without pain. \u201cI feel the best I\u2019ve ever felt in my life,\u201d he says. He still watches basketball every day, but no longer plays with anyone besides his family. \u201cThat\u2019s all wrapped up in a bow now,\u201d he explains. Looking back, he feels some pangs of nostalgia, but not regret. \u201cI chose to play every game like it was my last,\u201d he writes. \u201cAnd then, without my realizing it, it was.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Blood clots snatched basketball from Chris Bosh. His new book is part of the healing.<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/header>\n
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Chris Bosh needed more than two years to find anything close to inner peace with how his love and livelihood \u2014 basketball \u2014- was so suddenly snatched from him in 2016. \"Chris <\/span> \u00a9 DAVID SANTIAGO\/Miami Herald\/TNS<\/span> Former Miami Heat player Chris Bosh smilies alongside his family during a ceremony to retire his number at halftime of an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magic at the AmericanAirlines Arena on Tuesday, March 26, 2019 in Miami. <\/span> <\/span>He was in his prime and peak of fitness with the Miami Heat when the blood clots were first detected. He was an 11-time NBA All-Star far from finished, he thought, with a career that would lead to the Heat retiring his No. 1 jersey and his induction this spring into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.<\/strong>But then he was done. In an instant.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was tough to get over it. Extremely tough,\u201d he told said in a conversation for The Greg Cote Show podcast, released Monday. \u201cIt took years. Two years and change to move on. I felt cheated, slighted, like the world was against me, \u2018Why me?\u2019 I felt those emotions. I felt \u2018em all. Let me not beat around the bush. I thought winning a championship was the hardest thing I ever did in my life. No. Not playing basketball and just yanking the plug out \u2014 that was the hardest thing by far.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bosh couldn\u2019t, wouldn\u2019t, let go at first. Spent months trying to get back on the court, seeing specialists.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI felt that team was good enough to compete for a championship [in 2017]. I was so excited. I felt if we can have success without Bron [LeBron James], oooh that\u2019ll do so much for my career. So we didn\u2019t leave a stone unturned [trying to play again]. We tried until I got tired of it. I had to move on.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The bond and camaraderie in the four years of the Big 3 era is something Bosh holds like a family heirloom.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He recalls the time that bond felt greatest. It was the night before Game 7 of the 2013 Eastern Conference finals vs. Indiana, a game Miami would win.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI was struggling in the playoffs during the back-to-back years,\u201d he says. \u201cWe were in a dogfight with Indiana. Before Game 7, back in Miami, all the fellas came over, and the wives. They all came over to hang out, have a dinner. They all gave me encouragement. \u2018Hey, man, we believe in you.\u2019 That was that moment where it was as good as it can get. It wasn\u2019t about basketball. There was no cameras or anything there. It was just friends trying to get the best out of each other. That was the best team ever. A good time was just a moment away. Guys were just hilarious. We loved cracking jokes and talking with each other.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

As with the loss of a loved one, there was grieving on the road to healing when Bosh lost basketball.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Part of that healing is a new book, \u201cLetters to a Young Athlete,\u201d that Bosh has spent the past two years writing and that came out June 1. The first-time author calls the exercise cathartic. The book shares life\u2019s lessons to aspiring young athletes but has an autobiographical feel.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is about how a kid from Texas whose first job was at a Blockbuster Video grew to become an Olympic gold medalist, a two-time champion with the Big 3-era Heat and a father of five young children ages 3 to 8 with his wife Adrienne, who all now live in Austin.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bosh is 37 now. His game \u2014 big man who can shot three-pointers \u2014 would have aged well in the modern NBA. He can talk about that now with a laugh, without regret.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d [still] be playing, for sure,\u201d he said, if not for the fate that stopped him cold. \u201cI could maybe squeak out a couple more years. Just stand over there and shoot it. But I eventually had to get over it. Time helped me get over it. My wife, my kids. You can\u2019t really think about those things when you\u2019re packing lunches for class tomorrow.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Having his career stopped against his will made Bosh realize for the first time how much of his life had been consumed by his sport.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know how much time was given to basketball. It\u2019s all I ever did. Then, there was no weights, no film, no shootaround. Even [the schedule of] naps \u2014 everything was for basketball. It was this whole world.<\/strong><\/p>\n

There was a massive void when that world stopped turning.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I had my scare with blood clots I said, \u2018Man, what else do I love?\u2019 I wanted to learn to do other things.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Music was one answer. Bosh now plays guitar and is learning the bass. He and \u201cmy Southern Florida brother,\u201d Miami musician Rico Love, have anew single out called, \u201cDifferent Kind Of Beautiful.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMost of my friends are musicians now. Crazy,\u201d Bosh says. \u201cI put enough time into it to where they [hear me] and get the look, \u2018Hey, that\u2019s pretty good! I thought it was gonna be trash.\u2019 That\u2019s how it mostly is with athletes trying to do music. I love watching people\u2019s faces, looking at me because the music\u2019s decent. I\u2019m like, \u2018chill out, it\u2019s not that crazy!\u2019 \u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Like music, writing was a natural outlet, too, to help fill that void. He has been a voracious reader his whole life. And having young kids of his own, and the experience of fatherhood, made \u201cLetters to a Young Athlete\u201d a natural first book.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels good to have a goal and be working toward something again,\u201d he said of the process of giving birth to a book. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely been a great experience being able to try and find my way after basketball. Find that other thing after ball.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bosh watched the other day as a Danish soccer player in his prime, Christian Eriksen, fell face first onto the field during a game after suffering a heart attack. There were moments of dread when it seemed he might die on the pitch, on live TV.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bosh\u2019s mind reeled back five years, to the Heat\u2019s and NBA\u2019s fear blood clots could end his own life right on the court.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure that\u2019s what the Heat thought that whole time. I\u2019m sure that\u2019s what Pat [Riley] and Micky [Arison] were thinking.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

When Bosh reflects on it all now, it\u2019s all good. He has his family. His health.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI had to come to the realization that I had my time,\u201d he says. \u201cI played professionally for 13 years. I can\u2019t complain one bit.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

As for the new book and his own kids? Bosh grins.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t made it mandatory reading for \u2018em yet,\u201d he says. \u201cMaybe next year.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Chris Bosh<\/strong><\/h1>\n
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Chris Bosh<\/strong><\/caption>\n
\"Chris<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
Bosh with the Miami Heat<\/a> in 2011<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Personal information<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Born<\/strong><\/th>\nMarch 24, 1984 (age\u00a037)<\/span><\/strong>
\nDallas, Texas<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nationality<\/strong><\/th>\nAmerican<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Listed height<\/strong><\/th>\n6\u00a0ft 11\u00a0in (2.11\u00a0m)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Listed weight<\/strong><\/th>\n235\u00a0lb (107\u00a0kg)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Career information<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
High school<\/strong><\/th>\nLincoln<\/a> (Dallas, Texas)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
College<\/strong><\/th>\nGeorgia Tech<\/a> (2002\u20132003<\/a>)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
NBA draft<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n2003<\/a> \/ Round: 1 \/ Pick: 4th overall<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Selected by the Toronto Raptors<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Playing career<\/strong><\/th>\n2003\u20132017<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Position<\/strong><\/th>\nCenter<\/a> \/ Power forward<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Number<\/strong><\/th>\n4, 1<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Career history<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
2003<\/a>\u20132010<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\nToronto Raptors<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2010<\/a>\u20132017<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\nMiami Heat<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Career highlights and awards<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
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Career statistics<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Points<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n17,189 (19.2 ppg)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rebounds<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n7,592 (8.5 rpg)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Assists<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n1,795 (2.0 apg)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Stats<\/a>\u00a0\"Edit<\/a> at NBA.com<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Stats<\/a>\u00a0\"Edit<\/a> at Basketball-Reference.com<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Medals<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Men’s basketball<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Representing \"\"\u00a0<\/span>United States<\/span><\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Olympic Games<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\"Gold<\/strong><\/td>\n2008 Beijing<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nTeam competition<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
FIBA World Championship<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\"Bronze<\/strong><\/td>\n2006 Japan<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nTeam competition<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
FIBA Americas U18 Championship<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\"Bronze<\/strong><\/td>\n 2002 Isla Margarita<\/a> <\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nTeam competition<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Christopher Wesson Bosh (born March 24, 1984) is an American former professional basketball<\/a> player. A Texas Mr. Basketball<\/a> in high school, Bosh played one season of college basketball for Georgia Tech<\/a> before declaring for the 2003 NBA draft<\/a>. He was selected fourth overall by the Toronto Raptors<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

While at Toronto, Bosh became a five-time NBA All-Star<\/a>, was named to the All-NBA<\/a> Second Team once, played for the U.S. national team<\/a> (with whom he won a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics<\/a>), and supplanted former fan favorite Vince Carter<\/a> as the face and leader of the Raptors franchise<\/a>. In the 2006\u201307 season<\/a>, Bosh led the Raptors to their first playoff<\/a> appearance in five years and their first-ever division<\/a> title. He left Toronto in 2010 as the franchise’s all-time leader in points<\/a>, rebounds<\/a>, blocks<\/a>, and minutes played.<\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2010, after seven seasons with the Raptors, Bosh entered into a sign-and-trade deal whereby he was traded to the Miami Heat<\/a>.<\/sup> In Miami, he joined fellow stars Dwyane Wade<\/a> and LeBron James<\/a>; the trio became known as the Big Three<\/a>. Bosh spent the second half of his career with Miami, appearing in the NBA Finals each year from 2011 to 2014 and winning NBA titles in 2012<\/a> and 2013<\/a>. He made the NBA All-Star team every year during his time in Miami. His career was cut short by a blood clotting condition<\/a> that the NBA ruled to be a career-ending illness. Bosh played his final NBA game on February 9, 2016. Notwithstanding the NBA’s ruling, Bosh fought to resume his playing career for three years before announcing in February 2019 that he intended to retire. On March 26, the Heat retired his no. 1 jersey. On May 15, 2021, Bosh was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Seeking to promote sports and education amongst youths in Dallas<\/a> and Toronto<\/a>, Bosh set up the Chris Bosh Foundation<\/a> and regularly speaks to youths about the benefits of reading<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Honors and achievements<\/span><\/h2>\n