Bosh
Chris Bosh in red uniform. SUN FILES
Toronto Raptors legend Chris Bosh says he’s lucky to be alive after a recent health scare.
Bosh, the fourth pick of the 2003 draft, left Toronto to join Dwyane Wade and LeBron James with the Miami Heat in 2010, winning two NBA titles there after seven seasons with the Raptors.
He had to retire at 31, though, due to blood clots after 11 all-star appearances. It was still enough to make the hall of fame, but Bosh had more in the tank and was primed to excel as a sweet-shooting big man who had spaced out his range beyond the three-point line later in his career as the NBA changed.
Bosh spoke to Hoopshype.com during a recent charity event with USA Basketball and said the blood clots returned and it could have been fatal.
“I had an episode in January. I almost dropped dead pretty much and came back to life. I’m not joking,” Bosh told Hoopsype. “I had another pulmonary embolism. It was in January. This past year. I was in the hospital for a week. But, take your medicine. So, I’m taking my medicine every day, taking care of myself every day, and watching it. So, I mean, no symptoms came either, (to warn him),” Bosh said.
“You got to deal with it for the rest of your life. I thought I was past it. I am not. So, you know, it’s just making sure I stay on top of my regimen.”
Bosh also gave that advice to San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama, who dealt with blood clots during his second season.
While Bosh had to retire when he dealt with blood clots after making a brief, 53-game return in 2015-16, Wembanyama and other players, including Damian Lillard, Ausar Thompson and Brandon Ingram, most recently of the Raptors, managed to return to the NBA for longer.
Weekends like this remind me why I love this game. Thank you to @usabasketball , @usab3x3 , @rx3foundation , and everyone I had the chance to connect with. Always learning, always building, always giving back to the game that gave me so much. pic.twitter.com/2YdUmx1gZF
— Chris Bosh (@chrisbosh) August 2, 2026
Bosh also discussed other topics in the interview, including how he would have signed in Miami if given the option like old friend LeBron James this summer and joked people knocking James for “ring chasing” by choosing Philadelphia were way off. Bosh said Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and everyone else ring chased and he would too if given the chance again.
Bosh has been mostly out of the spotlight since retiring, but is popping up more frequently on social media these days. He’s also an analyst on Amazon Prime’s NBA broadcasts.
He did not participate in any of Toronto’s 30th anniversary celebrations two seasons ago, but remains high atop the franchise leaderboard in many categories. Bosh is still Toronto’s all-time leader in total rebounds, rebounds per game, free throws made and attempted per game and is one of only three Raptors who played at least two season with the club to average at least 20 points per game (Vince Carter and RJ Barrett are the others). Bosh also ranks top three in franchise history in many advanced stats like win shares and value over replacement player.
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