As part of Raptors Rapture’s “Chris Bosh week” we remember Bosh’s time with the Toronto Raptors, including his five most important moments.
Chris Bosh had a career worthy of entrance to the Hall of Fame before it was derailed due to blood clots. He played 13 seasons combined between the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat. In that time he was an 11-time all-star (five of which as a Raptor) and a two-time NBA champion.
In his career, he played nearly 900 games and averaged 19.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.0 blocks per game. He was one of the most explosive and important Raptors, not only in his seven-year tenure with the franchise but all time.
Bosh owns a number of Raptors records. He is the all-time rebounds leader. He has the most blocks and even owns the best defensive win shares. He is also second in total points and points per game. His position on these leaderboards speaks volumes to his ability and impact on the organization.
Bosh was a connection between the past and the future of the franchise. He played with two of the other greatest all-time Raptors during his residence with them.
He joined the league and played his rookie season with Vince Carter. Before he departed to join the Heat, he also played with DeMar DeRozan. Bookended by two of the best, Bosh certainly made his time with Dinos memorable.
With Bosh now being honoured by having his jersey retired by Miami, we will look back at five of his most important moments with Toronto.
Getting drafted fourth overall
It is now considered one of, if not the best draft of all time. On June 26, 2003, CB4 began his NBA career when the commissioner, David Stern, announced that the Raptors had selected him. He went fourth overall after LeBron James, Darko Miličić, and Carmelo Anthony. He also slotted one spot ahead of Dwyane Wade.
Prior to that point, Bosh’s talent was clear. He had won the Mr. Basketball Texas award, naming him the 2002 best high school basketball player in the state of Texas. He was a top recruit to college after he helped Lincoln High School complete a perfect 40-0 season, complete with a National Championship. In that game, he scored 23 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and had nine blocks.
With the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, his success continued. He averaged 15.6 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 31 games. He also owned a .561 field goal percentage, which was tops in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). It was clear why Bosh did not have to wait long to hear his name called at the NBA draft.
The Raptors were fortunate to have Bosh available to pick. It was his dominance in college ball that convinced him to turn pro. He had originally planned on finishing his degree.
It’s hard to play the “what if” game, but “if” Bosh decided to skip the 2003 draft, the Raptors would have likely chosen Chris Kaman. The Los Angeles Clippers took him sixth overall, but he was rumoured to have been a player the Raps coveted. Those Raptors years would have looked a lot different without Bosh on the floor.
Making the playoffs for the first time/Winning the division
As a member of the Raptors organization, Bosh had great individual success. Unfortunately, the team did not always follow suit. During his tenure, they only managed two playoff berths.
At age 22, Bosh led the Raps to his first appearance in the postseason. It was his fourth season in the NBA and first time being a part of a winning season.
Prior to his first playoff appearance, Bosh never finished with a percentage higher .402. That was a total of 33 wins, a mark his Raptors team hit twice during Bosh’s time. In 2006-2007 the Raps finished the regular season first in the Atlantic. It was the first time in team history that they won their division. For the organization, it was a huge milestone.
Bosh and his teammates rolled into the playoffs surging. They had won 9 of their final 12 games, including winning six in a row during that stretch. They faced off against former teammate, Carter, and the New Jersey Nets in the first round that year. Though favourites to win the series, the Raps fell short. They were eliminated in six games.
They did not fare better the following year. Their run was once again cut short in the first round. This time, it was the Orlando Magic who took out the Dinos in five games.
The moment he knew
The end of Bosh’s time with the Raptors came sooner than the team wanted. In his lame duck season, there was plenty of speculation as to whether he would remain with the organization or head for greener pasture. Unfortunately, at the conclusion of that season, Bosh decided to take his talents to South Beach.
In the summer of 2010, the Raps and Heat executed a sign-and-trade. It made the departure official. The Raptors were able to acquire two first-round picks and a trade exception from the heat. At the time, President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo commented on Bosh joining forces with James and Dwyane Wade.
"“We all just witnessed an unprecedented moment in professional sports as these three young stars have joined forces in an attempt to completely transform this league. We are certainly sorry to see Chris leave, but we are planning to use these acquired assets to retool our roster and evolve as an organization,”"
As previously detailed, Bosh only went to the playoffs twice with Toronto and exited early on both occasions. That lack of success wore on the big man. He grew tired of losing and wanted to add some help to his lineup.
Bosh joined HBO and The Ringer’s Bill Simmons on the Bill Simmons Podcast. With Simmons, he discussed the moment he knew that his time with the Raptors would come to an end. Bosh explained that John Salmons was a player that the team was looking to recruit.
Salmons was considering joining Toronto, however, at the last moment backed out of a five-year $23 million deal citing “divine intervention” for his reasoning.
"“That’s kind of when I knew it was going to be a lot more difficult being in Toronto. So as soon as I could change my destiny and have an opportunity to explore other things, I was ready to do that.”"
And he did.
Bosh sets a career high with 44 points
On January 20, 2010, on the road at the Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Bosh had the highest total of his career. He scored 44 points in a loss to the Bucks. That accompanied his 12 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal. He had already hit the 40+ mark multiple times with the Raptors, but never exceeded 42. This made the tally a big deal.
The feat is even more impressive when evaluated in contrast to his teammates that evening. Hedo Turkoglu had 13, Andrea Bargnani 10, Jarrett Jack 6, and DeMar DeRozan had 2. All the starters +/- were negative on the night except for Bosh.
The night served as a microcosm of his entire Raptor career. Bosh doing everything possible to will the team to victory. However, like his career in Toronto, it just wasn’t quite enough.
Bosh stood head and shoulders above the rest, making clear how valuable he was to the team. His monster night forced opponents to respect his ability to score and pay extra attention to him. After he went off for 44, the Raps won 8 of their next 9 games.
In his time with the Heat, Bosh never reached the same peak. He did, however, manage to accrue 40 points on the third game of the 2012-13 season. It was the only time he would reach this mark in Miami.
Winning a gold medal
Though it did not happen while wearing a Raptors uniform, Bosh picked up some new hardware while still a member of the organization. In 2008, Bosh made Team USA and competed in the Beijing Olympics. He came home from China with a gold medal.
Captained by Kobe Bryant, Team USA was known as the “Redeem Team” since they disappointed in 2004, only winning bronze. This time, USA would not be stopped. They went undefeated on their way to beating Spain, a team that featured José Calderón and Marc Gasol.
The Redeem Team allowed Bosh to reunite with his 2003 draftmates, playing on the same roster as James, Anthony, and Wade. It was also an opportunity for what would later become the big three of the Heat to find some chemistry together.
Bosh returned to Toronto after the summer Olympics to have yet another underwhelming season. They went 33-49 and finished fourth in their division.
His career in Toronto was filled with highs and lows. He meant a lot to the franchise and will forever be remembered as one of the greatest to ever wear Raptor purple and red.