Chris Bosh Out For Season Due to Blood Clots In Lungs

Miami Heat forward-center Chris Bosh will sit out at least the rest of the 2014-15 NBA season due to blood clots in one of his lungs.

Chris Bosh is out for the rest of the 2014-15 NBA season.

According to a Feb. 21 update from The Miami Herald’s Joseph Goodman, Bosh has to be sidelined due to blood clots in his lungs. He sat out the Heat’s practice on Feb. 18 and checked into a local hospital to consult with physicians a day later. Doctors confirmed Bosh’s condition and they ran more tests on Feb. 20.

Bosh’s wife, Adrienne, told Goodman her husband is “doing OK.” In spite of his, doctors will use blood thinners to treat the Heat star’s condition, assuring that he will be out for several months.

For his part, Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra said his players’ health is his biggest priority, per Goodman. He said,”The health of your players, that’s my biggest concern, and that’s my biggest thought last night and tonight. Is C.B. OK? Is his family OK?”

Bosh and his teammate, Heat guard Dwyane Wade, went to New York together for the 2015 NBA All-Star festivities. The latter won the Shooting Stars competition at Barclays Center on Feb. 14 and then suited up for the Eastern Conference in the 2015 NBA All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 15, per Goodman.

The Miami Herald update adds Bosh said he wasn’t feeling well on the day of the 2015 NBA All-Star Game, but decided to travel to Haiti with his wife, Wade, and Wade’s wife, actress Gabrielle Union. 

Wade said,”For us, when we went to the hospital, the biggest thing for all of us as teammates is we just want the best for him and his family. So, obviously we will get all the details later, but we want the best for him.”

Wade also made it clear that Bosh’s situation “was more important that basketball,” per Goodman.

The Heat guard also spoke with The South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Ira Winderman and expressed confidence his teammate and friend will take the court again:

“For sure. This is not career ending.

“I tried not to make him laugh too hard. Obviously that does not feel very good.

“He’s been in good spirits. That’s the biggest thing. It probably hasn’t hit him yet he’s going to miss the rest of the season.”

BREAKING: Chris Bosh will miss remainder of the NBA season while being treated for blood clots on his lung. pic.twitter.com/rsHpoGrUAj— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 21, 2015

The Miami Herald update says Bosh’s illness comes at a time when the Heat just acquired coveted point guard Goran Dragic along with his brother, Zoran, from the Phoenix Suns for guard Norris Cole, forwards Danny Granger and Shawne Williams, center Justin Hamilton and two future first-round draft choices.

Goodman notes “pulmonary embolisms and blood clots were on the minds of those associated with the NBA before news of Bosh’s medical situation.” Former Portland Trail Blazers legend Jerome Kersey reportedly passed away to blood clots in his lungs several days earlier. Brooklyn Nets power forward Mirza Teletovic was also forced to sit out the rest of the 2014-15 NBA season because of the same condition.

A Feb. 22 ESPN update confirms the risk of a blood clot traveling from the legs to the lungs, as it did in Kersey’s case. In addition to Bosh and Teletovic, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao went through the same situation two seasons ago but is now healthy.

Heat forward Udonis Haslem told ESPN he also had blood clots in his lungs following foot surgery during the 2010-11 NBA season. He said,”First of all, the pain, it’s excruciating. Every time you try to inhale to take a breath, it’s like somebody’s stabbing you in your lungs.”

Goodman then goes into detail regarding his interview with sports cardiologist Dr. Carlos Zamora:

“Dr. Carlos Zamora, a sports cardiologist for Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, said professional athletes in contact sports are more likely to encounter a combination of risks that would predispose them to deep vein thrombosis, or blood clots in the legs or pelvis that can travel to the lungs, causing a pulmonary embolism.

“Those dangers include long periods of immobility during travel, or while recovering from injuries, hard blows to the legs, and dehydration from physical activity.”

Now, the Heat are going to have to fight for their playoff lives without their franchise player, who signed a guaranteed five-year deal worth $118 million last summer. As of Feb. 21, Miami is seventh in the East with a 23-31 (.426) win-loss record, per ESPN.

Prior to him sitting out the rest of the 2014-15 NBA season, Bosh had been averaging 21.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, according to ESPN. 

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