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Chris Bosh did not hide his frustration last year after he wasn’t named a finalist for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s 2020 enshrinement class.
“I’m not going to lie, man. I’m disappointed that I didn’t even get considered,” Bosh said last February shortly after the 2020 finalists were announced, a list that included Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett. “I was really, really looking forward to going in with this class.”
But the former Heat forward is experiencing much more positive emotions just one year later.
Bosh, 36, was one of the 14 finalists named Tuesday for possible induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the 2021 class. This marks the second year that Bosh is eligible for consideration after his playing career came to an end in 2016.
“Words cannot express the feeling,” Bosh posted on Instagram of being a finalist. “Thank you so much for everyone who has helped me through my career. Basketball has given me everything and I am truly grateful.”
Former Heat guard Tim Hardaway is also among the finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame’s 2021 class.
The list of former NBA players who were named finalists for the 2021 Hall of Fame class: Bosh, Michael Cooper, Hardaway, Marques Johnson, Paul Pierce, Ben Wallace and Chris Webber.
The 2021 Hall of Fame inductees will be unveiled on May 16, with the enshrinement ceremony scheduled to take place in September.
While blood clot issues ended Bosh’s NBA career early after 13 seasons, he still accomplished a lot. He put up career averages of 19.2 points on 49.4 percent shooting, 8.5 rebounds, two assists and one block in 893 regular-season games (881 starts), and he was an 11-time All-Star.
Bosh is one of 13 players in NBA history to average at least 19.2 points and 8.5 rebounds in a career that included at least 11 All-Star selections. In six seasons with the Heat from 2010-16, Bosh won two NBA championships, appeared in four NBA Finals and was voted into six All-Star Games.