There Bosh stood – the 6′ 11″ power forward whose career was unfortunately cut short because of blood clots.
“As everybody knows back in 2015 I had a health scare. Days in the hospital, tubes right here in my chest, I could barely walk,” Bosh said. “And then one day, on my road to recovery, the Heat organization sent piles and piles of letters from all of you guys, Heat nation. I want you to know that I read those. Those letters pushed me to get back on the court. Those letters inspired me to get back up and walk across the room when I didn’t have the energy to do it, when I didn’t think I could do it.”
But this night wasn’t about what could’ve been, it was about what was – and he was a winner who wore his emotions on his sleeve.
“See, my whole career I just wanted to play in front of passionate fans, and you guys made that come true,” he said. “And when our backs were against the wall in Game 6, you see you guys may not know this, but you gave my legs the extra spring, that extra oomph, that spirit, that I needed to keep my head in the game and grab the biggest rebound in NBA history.”
Then, with one final roar from Bosh and the crowd, the ceremony came to a close just like he closed out wins.