Former NBA star Chris Bosh has receded from the limelight since retiring in February 2019, but he recently opened up about another terrifying health scare.
On Wednesday, Chris Bosh posted a video on X (formerly known as Twitter) in which he described how he “woke up covered in my own blood.” The 11-time All-Star and two-time NBA champion with the Miami Heat appeared to have dark circles under his eyes as he spoke from his car.
“It was instant,” Bosh said. “There was no warning. I didn’t have any time to prepare for it. I was getting ready to go on a date with my wife, and next thing you know, I was on the ground. I won’t get into specifics, but you can kind of see I’m still recovering. I’m not going to try to hide that one, in case I look different.
“But it was a scary thing, and it came fast. It made me really have a different outlook on life and how things go — what we do for ourselves, what we do for our family, how we live our lives. No matter what it is, make sure you don’t wait. That’s the thing that I get from this: Don’t wait to take action because it could come fast; it could come quick. I’m lucky to be alive.”
While Bosh declined to publicly share the specifics of this medical crisis, it is common knowledge that the 41-year-old was forced to retire from the NBA due to blood clots.
The Miami Heat announced in February 2015 that Bosh was ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering a blood clot in one of his lungs, otherwise known as a pulmonary embolism. He returned to play for the Heat for the 2015-16 season, but struggled with an undisclosed medical condition.
In March 2016, Bosh released a statement saying he did not have deep vein thrombosis and wanted to play. However, he was ruled out for the Heat’s playoff run, reportedly due to recurring blood clots.
Bosh failed his preseason physical in September 2016, and despite his repeatedly stated desire to return, the NBA and its players’ union ruled it unsafe in June 2017. Bosh last played on Feb. 9, 2016, and officially retired in February 2019.
Bosh was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.
