Miami Heat: Chris Bosh to be rewarded for the sacrifices he made

After fours years of necessary struggles and sacrifice, Chris Bosh will now be rewarded with his jersey hanging in the rafters of the AmericanAirlines Arena.

After six seasons, six All-Star appearances and two NBA titles, it was announced that Chris Bosh‘s No. 1 jersey will be retired by the Miami Heat on March 26.

Like many NBA stars, Bosh’s career can be split into two separate parts. Drafted fourth overll in the famous 2003 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors, he dominated the box scores with five consecutive 20-plus points per game seasons and seemingly nightly double-doubles on teams that lost in the first round of the playoffs at best.

A free agent in 2010, he joined LeBron James and Dwyane Wade as members of the Heat in search for more than simply individual praise, forming the infamous Big 3.

As many have documented in the past, it wasn’t always easy for CB down in the 305. The trio of James, Wade and Bosh all had to make sacrifices in order to co-exist. There simply weren’t enough basketballs not to. But playing next to two megastars, it was the big man who was forced to see the biggest reduction in his role.

Bosh had been the guy for so long up in Toronto. With the Heat, he was forced into a tertiary role, receiving shots only when his costars allowed for it. The role was a tough one to take on, especially as the team suffered through inconsistencies in their inaugural season together, but understanding the idea of playing for something more, Bosh was never one to complain.

Rather than sulk about his role, Bosh evolved in ways he never could’ve imagined early on in his career. A below-average defender as a Raptor, the energy that would normally go towards carrying a heavy offensive burden went toward the other end of the court.

The opponents’ offensive rating per 100 possessions was lower with Bosh on the court in three of his first four seasons in Miami, a stark difference from a guy who seemed to only focus on the scoring aspect of the game.

The Heat moved him to the center position full-time prior to the 2012-13 season as a way to open up their offense. It was just another adjustment Bosh had to make, but like the others, it was one he’d find a way to succeed at.

He even began to develop a 3-point shot in the final season of the Big 3 era, a skill that wound up making a big difference once a bigger role came along following LeBron’s departure in the summer of 2014.

When Miami won, it was all about the dynamic duo. After a loss, all the fingers swung squarely to Bosh. His averages hovered around 18 points and seven rebounds per game as the third option on a championship contender, and yet it never seemed to be enough for the haters who believed he was holding the team back from truly thriving.

Wade made some sacrifices for James, but Bosh made more for both of them. He went from scorer to a spot-up shooter, a go-to threat to pick-and-roll man. He made a seamless positional change and embraced being the last line of defense, all while everyone gushed over the nightly highlight-reel his teammates managed to create.

There where no call-outs or subtweets, and no trade requests were made. Chris Bosh simply found other ways to make a difference, and it’s for that reason the Heat won two championships, the Hall of Fame is likely in his future and his legacy with the organization will be forever remembered in the rafters.