Bosh not finalist for Hall of Fame

Heat forward passed over as Hall of Fame finalist

CHICAGO — Chris Bosh will have to wait at least one more year before being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

After being named a Hall of Fame nominee in December, Bosh wasn’t named a Hall of Fame finalist on Friday during the 2020 All-Star Weekend.

Kobe Bryant, Tamika Catchings, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett headlined a Hall of Fame finalist class that included Kim Mulkey, Barbara Stevens, Eddie Sutton and Rudy Tomjanovich. The Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020 will be announced on April 4 during the NCAA Men’s Final Four in Atlanta.

Bosh finished his career an 11-time AllStar with statistical averages of 19.2 points and 8.5 rebounds during a 13-year career that was cut short due to medical issues. Larry Foust, who played in the NBA from 1950-62, is the only eligible player with at least eight All-Star selections that isn’t in the Hall of Fame.

Bosh made four NBA Finals appearances with the Heat, including two NBA titles championships in 2012 and 2013. The Heat retired his No. 1 jersey on March 26, 2019, joining Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway and Shaquille O’Neal as the only players to have their jersey numbers retired by the franchise. Bosh was also a part of the United

States gold-medal team at the 2008 Olympics.

Bosh played the final six seasons of his NBA career in Miami, a period of his career marked by sacrifice and regularly taking a backseat to LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. After averaging 22.8 points and 9.9 rebounds over the four seasons before he joined the Heat with the Toronto Raptors, Bosh averaged 17.3 points and 7.9 rebounds during his four years playing alongside James and Wade that culminated in four consecutive NBA Finals berths.

Bosh averaged 20 points from 2014-16 after James left the Heat during the summer of 2014 for the Cleveland Cavaliers in free agency, but his career ended prematurely due to reoccurring blood clots. He played the final game of his career on Feb. 9, 2016. After being selected with the No. 4 pick in the 2003 draft, Bosh spent the first seven years of his NBA career with the Raptors and was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 2007.

Billy Cunningham, O’Neal, Bob McAdoo, Mourning, Gary Payton, Ray Allen and Heat President Pat Riley are the individuals with Heat ties that have already been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Wade, who’ll have his No. 3 jersey retired during on Feb. 22 during a threeday celebration weekend of Wade, is assuredly a guarantee to be inducted into the Hall of Fame when he’s first eligible in 2023.