Chris Bosh Has No Regrets about Leaving Toronto
By the time Chris Bosh got off the plane and settled down in South Beach, he was past the Toronto Raptors question. Regrets? It seems he has none.
The former Toronto Raptors superstar was interviewed on The Fan 590 Tuesday and sounded like a man with a clear head and healthy conscience. He spoke about his frequent use of Twitter as the vehicle for his thoughts on free agency, something many other notable NBA stars use, mostly for fun. He mentioned that while he’ll miss Toronto, his professional home for the last seven years, he isn’t going to apologize for exploring and ultimately changing his career course.
Bosh said: “If the people felt betrayed, I’m sorry for that. But it wasn’t anything serious. It’s just all fun. You guys know me. I like to have a good time and I like to keep things easygoing…I’m happy with the way I handled things. I don’t think I got out of line at any point. I knew going into this situation, wherever I chose to go, people were going to think I was crazy.”
Speculation about Bosh’s intentions began when he asked fans on Twitter if he “should stay or go.” The update was followed up with one on the morning of his signing with the Miami Heat in which he asked why he was getting so many messages about his decision. To some, the question came off as disingenuous.
Bosh had more to say on the radio: “You know you’re not going to please everybody. You’re going to step on some toes. I didn’t want to offend anybody or make anybody upset. My intentions throughout that were just to broadcast what I was doing and just have fun with it.”
Twitter has become a popular online medium for sports stars as well as celebrities to communicate with fans. “Microblogging” has come under attack by many as a frivolous pastime, but has also been seen as a way to gain access to celebrity personalities in a candid way previously unavailable to fans.
Bosh’s signing with the Heat was the second in a three-part saga in which all three mega-stars, Dwyane Wade, Bosh, and LeBron James, signed on with the team. The three have said they all jointly wished to create the conditions for an instant championship.
Stars leaving Toronto have been plagued by a history of harsh treatment, but Bosh himself said he is very fond of the city and the basketball organization, and will miss it. He admitted at the same time that he expects to see some disrespect when playing at the Air Canada Centre.
“As far as the boos are concerned, I hope they don’t,” Bosh chuckled. “But it’s sports. I know people are very passionate about sports. Fans, they’re still going to root for the Raptors. That’s not going to change. I don’t know what to expect, but I wouldn’t be surprised to be showered.”
As for the rumour that he, Wade, and James had been conspiring to play together for years, dating back to 2006 when they signed identical contracts, Bosh was adamant that he was deliberating over staying with Toronto up until the last minute.
“We gave each other breathing space and just time to think. With all the stuff going on, the last thing you need is LeBron James blowing up your voice mail and saying, ‘Hey, you should come to Cleveland. You should come with me.’ And then Dwyane saying, ‘You should come with me.’ I think that was a huge misconception with the public.”
In typically charismatic manner, Bosh expressed that the decision to leave was more emotionally weighted than he expected, but that he was ultimately happy with it.
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