Chris Bosh was drafted by the Toronto Raptors in 2003. He spent seven years with the organization before ultimately leaving to join LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat in 2010.
Prior to making his Heat debut, Bosh was a superstar in Toronto. He averaged 20.2 points on 49 percent shooting, 9.4 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game. From 2006 to 2010, he was an All-Star in each and every season. Clearly he had a good thing going.
So why’d he leave?
During a recent interview on SiriusXM Radio, Bosh revealed the one particular message that ultimately led to his Toronto exit.
.@chrisbosh’s reason for joining the @MiamiHEAT was simple: he wanted to compete for a championship. Hear more during his Town Hall on @SiriusXMNBA tonight, 9/8, at 6pm ET. https://t.co/OX22dpuQO5 pic.twitter.com/nsLHBmvMXD
— SiriusXM (@SIRIUSXM) September 8, 2021
“One message in particular stuck out in my head saying, ‘You want to play on the big stage.’ That always stuck with me,” he said. “I wanted to compete for a championship. I wanted to be like Jordan. I wanted to be like Kobe. I wanted to be like Tim Duncan. Those guys elevated their game and got with the Boston (Celtics), and now they’re playing at that level. I wanted to play at that level. That was the most important thing to me.”
Going from being the No. 1 guy with the Raptors to the No. 3 option with the Heat couldn’t have been easy. But for Bosh, it was a sacrifice worth making.
Now we know what motivated Gronk to play so hard vs the Cowboys. https://t.co/xSVWG2zRU7
— Game 7 (@game7__) September 10, 2021
Bosh has been on something of an introspective run in recent weeks. Not long ago, he got brutally honest about the impact Kobe Bryant had on his career. It was really poignant stuff.
Bosh is objectively one of the most talented power forwards to ever play the game. As such, learning more about his story is always fun. Hopefully in the coming weeks, months and years more information comes out that allows folks to fully appreciate what he brought to the table throughout his storied career.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
