Chris Bosh finally stepped out on a basketball court for the first time since 2016 in Goran Dragic’s farewell game on Saturday. It turns out, though, that Bosh initially had no plans to play in the game and only changed his mind when he saw his former Toronto Raptors teammate Rasho Nesterovic step out on the court.
“Once I saw Rasho Nesterovic get out there, I said, ‘Ok, I could go up and down a couple of times,'” Bosh said. “Rasho’s great, we’re all older now, but those years in Toronto, they kind of brought me back.”
Dragic interrupted the interview to state that Bosh looked good out there on the court and the two-time NBA champion certainly appreciated those kind words.
“I just wanted to share the court. I said, ‘Ok, I have to get out here and have some fun,'” Bosh added.
Chris Bosh named one unexpected player who made him change his mind and step on the basketball court again.
And it isn't Goran Dragic, far from it 😁 pic.twitter.com/EwpGJtkofP
— Mindaugas Bertys (@the_mindaugas) August 25, 2024
I suppose if the 48-year-old Nesterovic could get out there for a short time then the 40-year-old Bosh could as well. These two were teammates on the Raptors from 2006-07 to 2007-08 and then in the 2009-10 season. In those three seasons in which they were together, the franchise made the playoffs twice.
Getting back to this game, Bosh, who was on Team GOGI, ended up playing just under seven minutes and recorded two points from the free throw line. Nesterovic, meanwhile, was his teammate here as well and he had two points and one rebound. They were on the winning side on the special day, as Team GOGI beat Team LUKA 108-86.
Chris Bosh Received Offers To Play In Europe Before He Retired
Bosh’s NBA career was cut short due to a blood clot ailment, which first surfaced in 2015. He managed to return to the court but the continued issues with blood clotting meant he was stopped from playing in 2016 by the Miami Heat. Bosh attempted to make a comeback at various points but failed and eventually retired in 2019. It appears at some point in between, he received offers to play in Europe but turned them down.
“I actually had offers from Europe. But it was time to retire. I wasn’t in a position where I wanted to up and move my family,” Bosh said. I had babies at the time. I took it as a sign and continued to move on. But I had a couple of offers. It wasn’t from Greece; it was from Spain and France, in the Euroleague.”
It is completely understandable that Bosh didn’t want to relocate his family at the time. They were well-settled in the U.S. and as much as he’d have liked to keep playing, it wouldn’t have been a great idea to move. It was time to hang it up and he appears content with that decision now.
Bosh ended his 13-year NBA career with averages of 19.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game. He made 11 All-Star teams to go with one All-NBA team and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.
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