Former Miami Heat player Chris Bosh determined to make NBA comeback

By Brandon Johnson | Feb 17, 2018

ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 28: Former Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets player Chris Bosh waves to the crowd during a stoppage in play of the Yellow Jackets' basketball game against the Clemson Tigers at Hank McCamish Pavilion on January 28, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images) /

Chris Bosh is looking to return to the hardwood, after a two-year NBA absence.

If you don’t succeed at first, try, try again.

Unless, of course, you are a two-time NBA champion who was diagnosed with life threatening blood clots not once, but twice.

In his latest interview on ESPN’s First Take, Chris Bosh, who last played for the Miami Heat in 2016, announced his aspiration to return to NBA action.

"“I’ve been in the gym. I can still play basketball,” Bosh said. He continued, “I’m not going to be in a position where I’m risking my life. So, if I ever get back on the court like that and people are worried, it’s not going to be a life-risking situation.”"

Leaving the NBA is hard.

Shaquille O’Neal is among the poster children for end-of-career ring chasing, despite having a lengthy and accomplished basketball resume. With his push to try and return to the hardwood, Bosh is putting teams in an awkward situation, while potentially tarnishing his legacy.

While he assures his health is a non-issue, Bosh has had trouble gaining the requisite clearance to resume his career. Nearing the end of his tenure with the Heat, president Pat Riley, with the guidance of team doctors, announced the organization would be ending its player relationship with Bosh due to his illness.

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Subsequently, the NBA ruled Bosh out of action in July 2017, effectively ending his basketball career, unless the ruling was overturned. Even if the NBA were to reinstate Bosh, he’d still be subject to health physicals from prospective teams, providing another hurdle before his return.

At 33-years-old and removed from hoops for two seasons, Bosh’s return would also sully the legacy built over 13 seasons. Averaging 19.2 points and 8.5 rebounds for his career, and placing 89^th in all-time NBA scoring, Bosh’s comeback would surely be in an ancillary role. There’s no doubt Bosh could contribute – the shooting range he developed in Miami as a power forward is indispensable.

However, lacking NBA speed practice for two years would certainly hamper Bosh’s contributions, particularly on defense. As the league embraces the small ball lineups of which Bosh was a part in Miami, his wiry six-foot-eleven frame would be a hindrance to most teams willing to sign him.

More disheartening than Bosh’s potential contributions or figuring out which teams would sign him, is the reality of his ailment. In 1993, Reggie Lewis, a Boston Celtics star, collapsed and died after practicing with a medically diagnosed heart complication. The warnings from Lewis’ doctors rang much the same as Bosh’s: playing basketball would risk his life.

Bosh is a talented both on and off the court. He’s a noted tech-lover and philanthropist, as a member of the National Society for Black Engineers and founder of the Chris Bosh Foundation, an organization dedicated to athletic and academic support for disadvantaged youth.

An icon in basketball, Bosh has the opportunity to continue his career in any number of ways, be that through joining a team’s behind the scenes operations or linking up with other players, past and present.

Next: As the Miami Heat struggle, things come together for Goran Dragic

Calling it quits on his NBA career will be a tough reality to face, but would be a move that could manifest itself in longevity elsewhere.