The Miami Heat were the best team in the NBA during the early 2010s. They managed to put LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh together on the court, forming one of the most memorable ‘Big Threes’ in league history, and reaching four consecutive Finals. Now retired, Bosh has weighed in on the debate over the greatest player of all time.
Asked about LeBron during an interview with All The Smoke in 2020, Chris offered a blunt opinion. “We all have our dreams of how things are gonna go and how career is gonna be played out. And, I mean, to actually watch him do it, I think we’re not gonna appreciate it until he’s done playing,” the former power forward began.
“And it’s gonna be a dangerous new norm for any other player who wants to be the GOAT,” Bosh said. “You’re at least gonna have to have 18 years of prime.”
To highlight how impressive James’ NBA journey has been, Bosh compared himself to him. “Even look at my career, great career, very long, but I only went to the Playoffs two times before going to Miami. Then we had the four-year stretch and that was it. That was all the Playoffs games I played,” he recalled. “He’s consistently played in the Playoffs…Just being able to play, being able to hoop at a high level for so long and still getting it done, I mean, it’s amazing.”
Bosh chooses between LeBron and Jordan
In another interview with ESPN in 2020, Chris Bosh was asked to choose between LeBron James and Michael Jordan. “I’m gonna go with Bron,” he replied, before giving the reasons for his decision. “One, cause that’s my guy.”
He then talked about how much James impacted his professional career. “I played with him. He’s given me many assists and many open shots, a lot of those pocket passes, pick and roll to the basket. He’s responsible for a nice portion of my points that I got in Miami,” Bosh said.
“To be quite honest, I was always envious of him,” the former power forward later added. “Because everybody’s like, ‘Oh, my goodness, LeBron James.’ Of course, he’s been looking at offensive packages for his whole life with the ball in his hands. As a big, I always wanted to do that.”
Bosh explains the differences between Jordan and LeBron
In that same conversation on ESPN, Bosh explained what, in his opinion, are the main differences between Michael Jordan and LeBron James. “Bron is more of a distributor, so if you watch his games, he works the games a little more. He passes, he gets his teammates involved early and then he kind of becomes agressive at scoring,” he considered.
About Jordan, Chris said: “He’s a killer, probably the greatest scorer of all time.” He then talked about how Jordan moved on the court during his days with the Chicago Bulls: “MJ had the triangle offense they mastered, and he was always looking to penetrate the defense, be agressive. He’s gonna get his 30 points.”
Bosh changes his mind on the GOAT debate
Two years after those interviews, Chris Bosh spoke with House of Bounce and, when asked about the GOAT debate, he was blunt: “There is no greatest of all time.” He then elaborated: “The one thing I want people to do is take Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, LeBron, Kobe (Bryant) -and I might be missing a couple- but put them over.”
Of those legends, Bosh asserted that they have a different status than the rest of basketball players. “They’re on their own island,” he said. “Don’t even talk about them. Let everybody else sort it out. In my opinion is a futile argument.”
Bosh’s favorite player growing up
In that same interview with House of Bounce, Bosh was asked about his favorite player growing up. “Kevin Garnett. Growing up, yeah,” he answered without hesitation. “He was long, skinny and tall, like me. And he was the first person I saw that really resonated with me putting the ball on the floor.”
Chris explained the impact the Boston Celtics icon had on him. “He kind of broke the stereotype that bigs shouldn’t dribble and shoot the outside shot and be playmakers and stuff like that,” the Heat legend said. “He just had an intensity that I really connected to as a kid, so once I saw that, I started mimicking his moves and pretty much made them my own.”
Chris Bosh’s successful career
Chris Bosh played for 13 years in the NBA and left an indelible mark. After being selected by the Toronto Raptors with the 4th pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, he stayed with the Canadian team for seven years. During that time, he established himself as a key player on the Raptors and earned his first All-Star Game selections, something he would repeat eleven times in a row during his career.
Despite his personal brilliance, averaging 24.0 points in the 2009-10 season, Bosh was not followed by the Raptors and was only able to make an impact in the league when he left for Miami that summer. Chris became a key part of the Heat’s Big Three, alongside LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
In his first four seasons in Miami, Bosh reached four Finals, becoming a champion in two of them. However, after that golden era, things became increasingly difficult for him. Physical problems prevented him from playing regularly in the following years, and continued issues with blood clotting ultimately led to his definitive retirement, something he announced in 2019.
In recognition of his invaluable contribution to the franchise, the Miami Heat retired Bosh’s No. 1 jersey. In 2021, the power forward was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.