Written by Tim Reynolds at NBA.com
Chris Bosh’s season is now officially over, regardless of how far the Miami Heat advance in the postseason.
The Heat and Bosh made the announcement Wednesday afternoon after the team practiced in Toronto, ending the recent speculation that Bosh would try to return to the court during the playoffs.
Bosh has not played since the All-Star break after a blood clot was discovered in his left leg. It’s the second consecutive year that Bosh’s season ended at the break because of problems with clotting, and the joint statement came one day after the National Basketball Players Association urged Bosh and the team to resolve any issues they have about his immediate future.
“The Miami Heat and Chris Bosh announce that Chris will not be playing in the remainder of the 2016 NBA Playoffs,” read the statement. “The Heat, Chris, the doctors and medical team have been working together throughout this process and will continue to do so to return Chris to playing basketball as soon as possible.”
Bosh is expected to remain with the team throughout the remainder of the playoffs – helping his teammates however he can. And while the statement finally provides resolution on his short-term status, it remains unknown if he has dealt with any other clots or if he remains on blood thinners.
“This has been going on since February,” Heat guard Dwyane Wade said in Toronto on Wednesday, before the announcement. “All we know is that he’s taking care of himself, health-wise, and that’s all we care about.”
Miami leads Toronto 1-0 in the Eastern Conference semifinals, with Game 2 set for Thursday.
Bosh was averaging a team-best 19.1 points at the break, when the clot was found after he arrived in Toronto – the city where he spent his first seven NBA seasons – for the All-Star weekend. He went through the All-Star media day rigors on Friday of that weekend knowing he couldn’t play in the game, and the reason initially cited was a calf strain.
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