Chris Bosh played six seasons in Miami and was an All-Star each season, averaging 19.2 PPG and 8.5 RPG. Now, Heat fans can rejoice as Bosh has earned an immortal place in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Bosh joins Dwyane Wade as the only Miami Heat players to win two championships and find their names in the rafters of TMX arena (formerly American Airlines Arena). The Heat decided to retire Michael Jordan’s number. That makes Bosh the sixth player to wear a Heat jersey that was hoisted to the rafters of TMX Arena.
Analysts and former NBA players came together on shows like ESPN’s The Jump and decried the fact that Bosh hadn’t been a first-ballot Hall of Famer. This may be a reflection that the Heat are not a big market team like New York or Los Angeles. Fans of the NBA may remember Kendrick Perkins battling in the paint against Bosh as a member of the Boston Celtics. Perkins appeared on basketball shows as one of Bosh’s very vocal supporters. He voiced his feelings on Bosh getting in the Hall of Fame.
Of all the players whose jerseys are raised to the roof of TMX Arena, only Bosh, Wade and Shaq have won championships. A key part of Miami’s success during the Bosh years was his willingness to put personal considerations aside in the interest of building a perennial champion in Miami. Bosh agreed to welcome LeBron in part by he himself taking on a smaller role. His point total went down from 18 to 14 in 2010-2011. This was the season LeBron came over in the trade that brought the MVP over from the Cavaliers.
The Heatles
Together, “the Heatles” made four straight NBA Finals from 2011 to 2014, winning back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013. Dwyane Wade aided the process of building an NBA champion by also taking on more of a limited role. It was worth it for “the big three’s” own success in the long run. They gelled and established chemistry that made them almost impossible to eliminate in a seven-game playoff series. In the process, they became so intertwined with Heat culture that they were known as “the Heatles”. If you have heard of Beatlemania, then you can imagine just how much enthusiasm came their way.
The Who’s Who of the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2021
Bosh was not the only low-post prodigy to make the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2021. He joins Chris Webber and Paul Pierce as inductees. Neither of these players, however, touted an infectious personality that won them so much attention off the court as to garner invitations to appear on pilot shows such as First Ink. Others may have their own business endeavors but they cannot hold an audience captive with humor alone. No, not in the quintessentially quirky way Bosh can. He created a YouTube channel that showcased his humorous side. The channel’s following was so widespread that he racked up appearances in TV comedies such as Entourage and Parks and Recreation.
Coincidentally, Shaq is probably the only pro athlete to have that kind of following for his comic flourishes. Eventually, they transcend sports and become beloved by people who did not even know them as athletes. That’s when you know a cultural icon has become enmeshed in the fiber of the city.
Shaq and Chris are two guys that are incredibly popular for their quirky, ebullient personality in addition to their on-court contributions. Serendipitously, they are also the guys that won championships and then had their jerseys displayed high up in your arena’s rafters. Heat fans can forever look up in their home arena and see Shaquille O’Neal’s jersey with Chris Bosh’s very close by. Fans of “the Heatles” have reasons to feel good too; they can look up and see Dwyane Wade’s jersey also. We will wait and see if LeBron’s jersey will ascend to the rafters as well to rejoin “the Heatles” and make the big three complete.