A move that’s been talked about for months — the release of Chris Bosh — finally went through today. The Miami Heat announced his jersey will be retired.
Late Wednesday afternoon, the Miami Heat finally did what had been speculated about for months and released Chris Bosh.
After multiple recurrences of blood clotting — including one just before training camp last summer — Heat doctors deemed it too risky for Bosh to continue his playing career.
Although there was some initial pushback, both from the star power forward and his camp, the NBA eventually agreed with the prognosis. Thus, Miami was allowed to waive Bosh without fear of another team picking him up — a move that would have put the $25 million he was owed right back into the Heat’s cap space.
Now, both sides are able to move on amicably.
Miami’s already doing just that, as they showered the future Hall-of-Famer with praise upon announcing his release.
Miami also let it be known that the No. 1 Bosh wore throughout his time in South Florida will be retired — never to be rocked by a Heat player again.
A few other players around the league chimed in on the news, including two of his former teammates from the Big Three days, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James.
https://twitter.com/DwyaneWade/status/882347674879406080
https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/882355688936054784
In all, it was a terrible situation for all parties involved, but especially for the talented power forward himself. Bosh got taken out through no fault of his own while still in his prime — a fate that no elite athlete should have to endure.
The former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket finishes his career in Miami having averaged 18.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 0.9 blocks a night. Furthermore, he ranks No. 5 in points (6,914), No. 6 in rebounds (2,816), No. 7 in blocks (332) and No. 6 in win shares (44.2) in Heat history.
Oh, and that’s to go with the two championships and countless memorable plays he also contributed to the organization.
With Bosh’s removal from the payroll, Miami now has around $34 million to spend in free agency. Where that money goes is anyone’s guess, but the likeliest outcome is that the Heat use it to bring back Wayne Ellington, James Johnson and Dion Waiters, while adding a mid-level free agent or two.
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Either way, it’ll eventually sort itself out. At the moment, we just wanna wish Bosh the best in his future endeavors and thank him for his years of service. We’ll miss you, CB.