Chris Bosh believes he is well enough to continue playing NBA ball and expects to be at the Miami Heat training camp this coming Sept. 27. All that remains is the go-signal from the Miami Heat management.
Chris Bosh continues to deal with blood clot issues, something that has derailed his past two seasons. Such has brought up concerns on whether he should still continue his NBA tenure, some comparing it to the case of Loyola Marymount player Hank Gathers.
Gathers was diagnosed with a heart ailment back in 1990 but opted to remain playing and cut down on his beta-blocker medication since it was making him sluggish, the Chicago Tribune reported. After an alley-oop dunk, the 23-year-old Gathers collapsed and was eventually pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Former Miami Heat player was one of the high-profile teammates of Gathers at that time and advised Bosh to retire, TMZ reported. He stressed that Bosh still has a chance to decide which Gathers couldn’t.
Those calls were made as early as May 2016 but obviously something Bosh is not heeding. In his state of mind, he is good and ready to play though the last say will still be on the Miami Heat.
For Bosh, he is clinging to the tweet that team owner Micky Arison sent out in August, referencing to seeing the all-star forward at training camp. Long-time teammate Udonis Haslem also expected Bosh to be part of Heat training camp.
While those dishes by Arison and Haslem point to a likely Bosh return, it will still depend on the medical team of the Miami Heat. It will be a risky decision despite the fact that some believe Bosh must prioritize his health than continue playing ball.
If Bosh is to return, he will not be the first athlete to play with a heart condition. In an interview with the Uninterrupted Open Run podcast, he singled out Tomas Fleischmann of the NHL who went on to play for five years.
According to SB Nation, other players who played on with a heart condition include Dennis Boyd (MLB), Kimmo Timonen and Steven Stamkos also from the NHL and Phil Jones of the English Premier League. Could these be enough to convince the Heat to allow Bosh back to competitive ball?
The video below shows Udonis Haslem weighing in on the Miami Heat’s chances without Dwyane Wade and possibly Chris Bosh.