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Chris Bosh

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For the professional wrestler, see Chris Bosh (wrestler).
Chris Bosh
Toronto Raptors
PositionPower Forward
Personal information
Born (1984-03-24) March 24, 1984 (age 40)
Dallas, Texas
NationalityUSA
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High schoolLincoln High School,
Dallas
CollegeGeorgia Tech
NBA draft2003: 4th overall
Selected by the Toronto Raptors
Playing career2003–present
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Christopher (Chris) Wesson Bosh (born March 24 1984 in Dallas, Texas) is an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association, selected as the fourth overall pick by the Toronto Raptors in the 2003 NBA Draft. He also plays internationally for the USA National Team.

Bosh, currently listed at 6'11" (2.10 m) and 230 pounds (104 kg), possesses excellent speed, athleticism, and ball handling for a player of his size. He is often referred to by the nickname CB4, first coined by Toronto Raptors play-by-play commentator, Chuck Swirsky.[citation needed] This alludes to a cult movie of the same name, and is a combination of his initials and jersey number. During his senior year at Lincoln High School in Dallas, he stated that he tries to model his playing style to Kevin Garnett, to whom he has often been compared.

High school

Bosh led Lincoln High School in Dallas to the number one ranking in the country and the USA Today National Championship with a perfect 40-0 season. Lincoln won the Class 4A state title before 16,990 fans as Bosh racked up 23 points, 17 rebounds and nine blocks, garnering significant attention from college recruiters. He was named High School Player of the Year by Basketball America, Powerade Player of the Year in Texas, a First-team all-American by Parade, McDonald's, SLAM Magazine and EA Sports, a Second-team all-American by USA Today, a First-team all-state player, and "Mr. Basketball" in Texas by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches.

College

Bosh chose to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), where he averaged 15.6 points, 9 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game,[1] leaving after his freshman season to pursue a pro career and entering the 2003 NBA Draft.

NBA career

2003-04

In his rookie season Bosh was forced to play out of position as the Raptors' starting center after Antonio Davis was traded to the Chicago Bulls. Night in and night out the wiry teenager battled against opponents who had a significant size and strength advantage over him. He was often praised by coaches for his heart, and willingness to play through pain and injuries resulting from his lack of body strength compared to some of the league's strong forwards and centers. He averaged 11.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.41 blocks, and 33.5 minutes in 75 games, leading all rookies in rebounding and blocks.[1] Chris was rewarded by being selected to the All-Rookie First Team for the 2003-04 NBA season.[1]

2004-05

With the departure of the former disenchanted and often criticized franchise face Vince Carter on 17 December, 2004, Bosh was simultaneously anointed as the new leader around whom the franchise would build.[2] In the remaining games following Carter's departure, Bosh averaged 18.4 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, and 38.1 minutes per game.[1]

2005-06

Prior to the 2005-06 NBA season, Bosh was named as one of the Raptors' team captains. Despite his highly impressive numbers, Bosh is still considered to be among the most underrated NBA players, being overshadowed by his fellow contemporaries such as LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwyane Wade. His rather quiet, relaxed personality keeps him out of the spotlight, though his abilities on the court are finally starting to get recognized throughout the basketball world.

On 9 February, 2006, for the first time in his career, Bosh was selected to play in the 2006 NBA All-Star Game in Houston, Texas as a reserve forward for the Eastern Conference[1] - only the third Raptor to do so, after Vince Carter and Antonio Davis.

In March 2006, Bosh was accidentally kicked in the thumb by teammate Pape Sow and missed the rest of the season. After his injury, the Toronto Raptors went 1-10, showing Bosh's importance as the centrepiece of the offense, as well as the leader of the team.

On 14 July, 2006, Bosh officially signed a three-year contract extension with a player option for a fourth year that will pay him $65 million. During the press conference announcing the agreement, Bosh also announced a donation of $1,000,000 to a Toronto charity, known as Community Legacy Programs.[3]

The Raptors finished the season 27-55 and Bosh averaged 22.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game.[4]

2006-07

On 25 January, 2007, Bosh was named an All-Star starter for the East after having a great first half of the season; he received the second highest number of votes among all Eastern Conference forwards, bested only by LeBron James.[5] This is Bosh's first All-Star start and second overall All-Star appearance, having averaged over 22 points and 11 rebounds in the first half of the season.

On 31 January, 2007, in a game against the Washington Wizards, Bosh scored a 65-foot buzzer-beating shot to end the third quarter of the game.[6] He shot 15-of-15 after missing his first four.[7]

Bosh was selected Eastern Conference Player of the Month for January 2007.[8] Bosh averaged 25.4 points and 9.1 rebounds while leading the Raptors to a 10-5 record in the month of January. Bosh also recorded three games with 14 or more rebounds, and set a career-high six blocks[9] while leading the Raptors to a 90-77 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

On 7 February 2007, Bosh scored a career-high 41 points - overcoming Dwight Howard's career-high 32 points - in a 113-103 win over the Orlando Magic. Bosh shot 13-for-25 and recorded 8 rebounds (3 from the offensive glass) in 45 minutes and went 15-for-17 from the free-throw line.[10] His performance prompted the home fans to chant "MVP" - a first in the Air Canada Centre.[11] Two days later, Bosh would collect 29 points and 11 rebounds against the Los Angeles Lakers, shooting 10-of-10 in the second half.[12] Bosh was also instrumental in victory against the Chicago Bulls six days later (a team they had lost to the last 15 times they met), when he sank two free throws with 2.1 seconds remaining.[13]

Style of play

Bosh is noted for his ability to handle the ball and drive to basket to finish strong or get to the free throw line, but he also known for his well-developed jumpshots. Bosh worked on his 3-point shooting during the summer of 2006 and has improved drastically. On 8 November, 2006, against the Philadelphia Sixers, he hit a game winning 3-point shot with 6.1 seconds left.[14] It was shades of the 3 point shot that marked his "arrival" to the NBA in his first season, when he hit a game-tying 3-pointer against Houston to send the game to overtime. Bosh is shooting 39% from the arc as of 1 February, 2007.

United States national team

Bosh was selected to compete along with fellow 2003 draftees Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Kirk Hinrich to compete for the 2006 FIBA World Championships. The team finished in 3rd place, defeating former 2004 Olympic champion Argentina.[15]

Accolades

  • ACC Rookie of the Year (2002-03 at Georgia Tech)
  • Member of U.S. National Basketball Team
  • 2 time NBA All-Star (1 as a starter)
  • NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month - January 2007
  • NBA All Rookie Team
  • Appeared in the 2004 and 2005 NBA rookie-sophomore game, which took place during the NBA's annual All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, California and Denver, Colorado respectively

Personal life

Bosh established the Chris Bosh Foundation in 2004. The Foundation's website describes the Foundation as "a non-profit organization promoting social enrichment, education and physical fitness among youth. The Foundation assists youth in reaching the educational and athletic goals they set through mentoring and setting examples in the community." [16]

Trivia

  • Bosh is the third-youngest player in NBA history to record 1,000 career rebounds.[1]
  • Became the fourth-youngest player in NBA history to record 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game.[1]
  • Is a member of the National Honor Society, the National Society of Black Engineers and the Dallas Association of Minority Engineers.[17]
  • Makes a cameo appearance in video game NCAA March Madness 2004 in the cutscene where various college players and fans say "EA Sports - it's in the game".
  • He is left-handed.
  • Selected along with former teammate Mike James to be a playoff correspondent for NBA TV in 2006. He was scheduled to report from Dallas.[18]
  • Bosh's first job growing up was at Blockbuster Video.[19]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Chris Bosh Info Page, NBA.com, accessed 8 February 2007.
  2. ^ 2004-05: End Of The Carter Era, Raptors.com, accessed 7 February 2007.
  3. ^ "Raptors Re-Sign Bosh to Multi-Year Contract Extension", Raptors.com, 14 July 2006.
  4. ^ Chris Bosh Info Page - Career Stats and Totals, Raptors.com, accessed 8 February 2007.
  5. ^ "Raptors voted all-star starter" CBC.ca, 25 January 2007.
  6. ^ Raptors Post Up, Raptors.com, 31 January 2007
  7. ^ Game Notes, Raptors.com, 31 January 2007
  8. ^ "Bosh named Eastern Conference Player of the Month", Raptors.com, 2 February 2007
  9. ^ Raptors Post Up, Raptors.com, accessed 10 February 2007.
  10. ^ Raptors Post-Up, Raptors.com, 7 February 2007.
  11. ^ Doug Smith, Bosh's career-high 41 sparks 'M-V-P' chant, Toronto Star, 7 February 2007.
  12. ^ Post-Game Notes, Raptors.com, accessed 10 February 2007.
  13. ^ Raptors Post Up, Raptors.com, 13 February 2007.
  14. ^ Raptors Post-Up, Raptors.com, 8 November 2006.
  15. ^ 2006 FIBA World Championship, fiba.com, accessed 8 February 2007.
  16. ^ Official website, Chris Bosh Foundation, accessed 12 February 2007.
  17. ^ http://nbadraft.net/profiles/chrisbosh.htm
  18. ^ "Chris Bosh and Mike James Become Playoff Correspondents", Raptors.com, 18 April 2006.
  19. ^ "CHATTING WITH CB4", NBA.com, accessed 15 February 2007.
Preceded by Atlantic Coast Conference
Freshman of the Year
2003 		Succeeded by
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