Miami to retire Bosh’s number

Former Raptor saw his greatest success with the Heat in U.S.

Chris Bosh, the ex-Toronto Raptor who enjoyed his greatest successes after he left the team, will be afforded one of the biggest honours an NBA player can achieve by the Miami Heat.

Bosh’s No. 1 will be retired in Miami before a March 26 game against the Orlando Magic, an honour given to few players in Heat history. Bosh was named to the NBA all-star team 11 times in his 13-year career, averaged nearly 20 points a game and won two NBA titles.

He is almost certainly destined for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and will now join Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway and Shaquille O’Neal as Heat players whose numbers are retired.

Miami has also “retired” No. 23 as an honour to Michael Jordan and will unquestionably add Dwyane Wade to the list next season.

“(Bosh’s) name and jersey will hang forever and always,” Heat president Pat Riley said Monday.

The Raptors have yet to retire a number or come up with any way to honour the best players who have played for the team in almost a quarter of a century.

There will come a time, without a doubt, that still-active players like Vince Carter and DeMar DeRozan are somehow honoured by the team, but, heading into the franchise’s 25th anniversary season next year, there surely has to be a way to pay tribute to the best players in franchise history.

Bosh spent the first seven seasons with the Raptors after being chosen fifth overall in the 2003 NBA draft. He averaged 20.7 and 9.4 rebounds in 497 games with Toronto before leaving for the Heat following the 2009-10 season.

It was with Miami that he had his greatest impact and his most success. Bosh won two NBA championships with the Heat, and his offensive rebound and kick out to Ray Allen for a game-winning three-point shot in the dying seconds of Game 6 of the 2013 NBA final is one of the most iconic plays in Heat history.