By DOROTHY J. Gentry
Sports Editor
He was a basketball phenom in high school, named a prestigious McDonald’s All-American, and led Dallas Lincoln High School to a state and national championship with a 40-0 record.
Now he’s closer to reaching the pinnacle of his career.
This week, Dallas native Chris Bosh was named a finalist for the NBA’s Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to be considered for election in 2021.
This year’s list includes nine first-time finalists, including Bosh, a two-time NBA champion and 11-time NBA All-Star; Rick Adelman, the ninth-winningest coach in NBA history; five-time NBA champion and five-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection Michael Cooper, NBA Finals MVP and 10-time NBA All-Star Paul Pierce, the first Black NBA head coach Bill Russell, two-time NCAA national champion Villanova coach Jay Wright, seven-time WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Yolanda Griffith, seven-time WNBA All-Star and three-time WNBA Most Valuable Player Lauren Jackson, and NCAA national champion and WNBA Coach of the Year Marianne Stanley.
The entire Class of 2021 will be unveiled on May 16, 2021. The Class of 2021 Enshrinement ceremony is scheduled to take place in September 2021. The date of the Class of 2021 Ceremony will be announced prior to the Class of 2021 Announcement on May 16.
Bosh is an 11-time NBA All-Star (2006-2016) and a two-time NBA Champion with the Miami Heat (2012, 2013). In 13 NBA seasons, he averaged 19.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Drafted by the Toronto Raptors, he was a member of the NBA All-Rookie Team in 2003-2004.
His NBA career was cut short by a blood clotting condition that the NBA ruled to be a career-ending illness. Bosh played his final NBA game on February 9, 2016.Bosh fought to resume his playing career for three years before announcing in February 2019 that he intended to retire. On March 26, the Heat retired his no. 1 jersey.
As a collegiate athlete at Georgia Tech, Bosh earned ACC Rookie of the Year in 2003.
As a high school standout in his native Dallas, Bosh was named Texas Mr. Basketball and a McDonald’s All-American, while leading Lincoln High to a state and national championship with a 40-0 record.
On the international stage, Bosh won an Olympic gold medal in 2008.
Bosh has written a book “Letters to a Young Athlete” and spends time speaking to youths about the benefits of reading and education through his Chris Bosh Foundation in Dallas and Toronto.
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