The Toronto Raptors selected Chris Bosh fourth overall in the 2003 NBA Draft and he went on to spend the first seven season of his NBA career in Toronto.
During his time with the Raptors, the Dallas, Texas native was named to five All-Star teams and set a then-franchise high for most points. He also still sits atop the franchise’s all-time offensive, defensive and total rebounds lists, as well as most blocks all-time in a Raptors uniform with 600. However, Toronto only made the playoffs twice while Bosh was on the team, both were first round eliminations, and he didn’t exactly leave town on the greatest terms, so he was greeted with plenty of boo’s every time he returned to town in a Miami Heat uniform.
As time went on, a majority of Raptors fans stopped booing Bosh whenever he returned to Toronto and started applauding him for what he did manage to do during his time with the team. It also helped that the franchise turned things around and became a winner. Now, the Raptors are the reigning NBA champions and Bosh had a front row seat of their incredible run as a member of the TSN panel and last week he showed the city and the team some love on FS1’s First Things First.
In 509 games with the Raptors, Bosh scored 10,275 points and added 4,776 rebounds, 1,115 assists, 600 blocks and 397 steals, good for an average of 20.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.2 blocks and 0.8 steals per game. The two-time NBA champion and 11-time NBA All-Star might not be the first player’s name out of a Raptors fan’s mouth when asked who their favourite all-time player is, but he certainly is one of the greatest players in franchise history.
(H/T Instagram/chrisbosh)
