SUMMARY
- Udonis Haslem claimed that Chris Bosh was more important than LeBron James during the Big 3 era.
- He said that Bosh was irreplaceable unlike James who had Dwyane Wade to cover for him.
Chris Bosh was one of the biggest reasons the Miami Heat achieved great success during the early 2010s. That era of the franchise was possibly one of the best ones they have ever been through. After all, they managed to win two consecutive titles while making the NBA Finals consistently. Even then, people generally overlook Bosh’s contributions especially since he played alongside LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
When James joined the team, his main motive was to win his first title. Wade had already established himself amongst the fans, especially after his brilliant efforts in 2006 to win the title. The Big 3 was also claimed to have been carried by James, who also earned himself two MVP Awards. Having said that, there is one individual who believes neither James nor Wade were the most important players of the group at that time.
Udonis Haslem claimed Chris Bosh was irreplaceable during times of crisis
Udonis Haslem is an entire year removed from retirement. He spent his entire career with the Heat and most people claim that he holds the true values of the culture they fondly speak of. But according to him, Chris Bosh was the most important part of the Big 3 era.
During an appearance on The OGs Podcast, he said, “Everybody think that our most important player was Bron. Our most important player, not our best player, but our most important player was CB [Chris Bosh].” Haslem continued, “If Bron went down, you could bring in D-Wade, and it’s not the same player, but you’re gonna get similar results. We couldn’t simulate it; we didn’t have another CB. If [Bosh] went down and got hurt, we didn’t have another one of those.”
Haslem has been through the best and worst times of the Heat franchise. The former NBA star also made multiple finals appearances with the team with his most recent coming from the ongoing Jimmy Butler era. So it’s safe to say he knows what he’s talking about.
Why did Chris Bosh retire early?
Chris Bosh was one of the rookies that entered the league during the 2003 NBA Draft. He was the fourth overall pick out of Georgia Tech, drafted right after Dwyane Wade. He spent his first seven seasons with the Toronto Raptors where he secured a couple of All-Star selections during his tenure. However, he was also one of the players who were most excited about joining Miami in 2010.
However, after the Heat made their fourth straight finals run, Chris Bosh was diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs. Such clots are quite common among NBA athletes due to the excessive workouts and damage they take on the floor. Ahead of the 2014-15, Bosh underwent surgery to clean his lungs. He appeared for 44 games that season before another clot was discovered in his leg.
Sometimes, blood clots clear up by themselves over time. But in some cases, clots form in the veins which usually do not dissolve. Bosh wasn’t alarmed after finding out about the clot in his leg, but the doctors eventually claimed that it was life-threatening in every way possible. This forced Bosh to retire in 2016, two years before his contract could end. He averaged 19.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2 assists per game during his career.