If last week’s failed physical didn’t make it obvious, Pat Riley confirmed on Monday morning that Chris Bosh will likely never play a game for the Miami Heat again. Bosh had been pushing for team doctors to clear him to play after February’s discovery of a recurrence of a blood-clot issue that had also sidelined him for the second half of the 2014-15 season. Last week, leading up to training camp, doctors found evidence of more clotting and were unable to clear him. What’s more, Riley made it seem like the matter is final, and the Heat aren’t going to work on getting him back on the court going forward.
Pat Riley, in meeting with reporters, says Chris Bosh's Heat career is "probably over" and team is not currently working toward his return
— Ethan J. Skolnick, 5 Reasons Sports (@EthanJSkolnick) September 26, 2016
Pat Riley insists that the team was working I get Chris Bosh back on the court and was only focused on his health, not cap ramifications
— Ethan J. Skolnick, 5 Reasons Sports (@EthanJSkolnick) September 26, 2016
Pat Riley says he has reached out to Chris Bosh to speak but did not receive a reply. Bosh will not be around the team for the time being.
— Ethan J. Skolnick, 5 Reasons Sports (@EthanJSkolnick) September 26, 2016
The news that the Heat aren’t going to clear Bosh to play isn’t surprising at all, given that this is the third instance of blood clotting they’ve found in 18 months. Bosh is pushing to play while on blood thinners, and the Heat understandably don’t want to take the risk of letting him play with a potentially life-threatening condition. As much as Bosh doesn’t want his career to be over, he has five kids and has made more than $160 million to this point in his career. It’s just not worth the risk to his life.