For the first time in NBA history, a Hall of Famer who played the majority of their games in Toronto was inducted into the hallowed halls of Springfield, as former Toronto Raptors star Chris Bosh took his rightful place among the greatest to ever play this game.
While he was inducted with some very noteworthy names, including Chris Webber, Paul Pierce, and even the legendary Bill Russell after he was inducted for what he did as a coach, Bosh was one of the main attractions, as he recorded many of his best offensive seasons an five of his 11 All-Star game appearances in Toronto.
Bosh’s speech was one of the most emotional and complex from last night, especially when he invoked the name of the great Kobe Bryant. Bosh cited his time with Bryant on the “Redeem Team” during the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a transformative experience that helped him learn the work ethic required to become truly elite.
Bosh found out that despite playing in the Finals just a few days before, Bryant had already worked out while CB4 was sleeping. This work ethic helped guide him to several more All-Star seasons in Toronto before he was able to take home a few championships with the Miami Heat.
https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1436878838060011525
Raptors legend Chris Bosh stole the show at Hall of Fame inductions.
Bosh told fans that Pat Riley enticed him to come to Miami by giving him a championship ring from earlier in the decade, claiming that Bosh can give the ring back to him when he wins one with the Heat.
All these years later, Bosh finally gave Riley his ring back. While Raptors fans may not have liked how Bosh left Toronto, the championship rings validated the decision to make that move.
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Bosh averaged 19.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in his career, but his 20.2 points and 9.4 rebounds per game averages during his time in Toronto show that despite often playing on some bad Raptors team amid constant turnover, he was one of the best power forwards in the game.
Bosh ended his speech with a bit of inspiration, claiming that any sort of adversity that he had to overcome during his formative years as a player actually was the “water that made it possible for the seeds of greatness inside of me to grow.”
Chris Bosh closes out his @Hoophall enshrinement speech with a powerful message about turning setbacks into strengths. pic.twitter.com/kLwBDUHqsd
— NBA (@NBA) September 12, 2021
Bosh might’ve played some of his prime seasons on some bad Raptors teams, and his sudden retirement due to health reasons forced him out of the game after his age-31 season, but he got the flowers he deserved during his induction. Seeing the greater basketball world appreciate Bosh is heartwarming to see.