The trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh was a dominant force throughout the early 2010s. The All-Star-caliber core led the Miami Heat to two NBA championships over four seasons.
After losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the 2014 NBA Finals, James decided to return to his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers. Contributing factors included an aging Miami roster, tensions with management, and his desire to win a championship for the Cavaliers.
In a recent episode of ALL THE SMOKE, Bosh revealed that he learned about James' departure from Miami through a last-minute text message.
"I thought it was BS. Ten minutes later, it was everywhere. I get it, but at the tim,e I didn't understand it. In my mind, I was ready to put the team back together because we had just lost, so we wanted to put something back together so we could win. It really didn't go like that. I took offense to it, to be honest, at first… Everybody is looking at you and D-Wade for that 25 points. It's like, damn, man… I was upset. It took months to get over it."
The duo of Wade and Bosh struggled to maintain Miami's status as title contenders throughout the remainder of their stint together. The Heat missed the playoffs in 2015 and were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2016.
While Bosh averaged 20 points and 6.2 rebounds per game throughout the two seasons, the 11-time All-Star was dealing with a career-ending blood-clotting condition. His last NBA game was played on February 9, 2016, against the Spurs, after physicians and the Heat front office recommended that he sit out the remainder of the season.
Wade decided to sign with his hometown Chicago Bulls during the summer of 2016. Although Bosh was still listed on the Heat's roster, Wade's departure marked the end of an era for the franchise.
Although Bosh remained at an All-Star level in the absence of James, the recurring medical condition changed the trajectory of his professional basketball career. It remains another compelling "what if" in NBA history.
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