Chris Bosh enjoying every minute of being on basketball court

MIAMI – Chris Bosh confronted mortality first in a Miami hospital with a life-threatening pulmonary embolism in February. There were harrowing hours when death was possible.

“I went there a little bit in my brain but you have to snap back into it because no, no, no, that’s not where we’re going,” Bosh told USA TODAY Sports. “We’re going positive. We’re going in this direction. Power to mind. You have to stay positive.”

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Then, he had to face the prospect of life without basketball if tests revealed he had had a hereditary condition that led blood clots.

“That’s all I want to do is play basketball. … I’m born to play basketball. This is what I’m supposed to do,” Bosh said.

Bosh, an All-Star forward for the Miami Heat, recovered, with a greater appreciation for life. 

“You start to notice the subtle, little, small things – like a beautiful day, your kids saying hello or something that’s funny and just really having the right attitude even on the days that are a little tough,” he said. “Hey, I’m up, I’m alive, I’m thriving. I get to do what I love to do, and that’s good enough right there.

“It gave me perspective in a short time.”

And of course, he has a renewed passion for basketball after missing the final two months of the season recovering.

“I really busted my butt, just being appreciative to be out there, to have another day to work hard,” he said of his offseason workouts. “I was like ‘I can’t wait to go to the gym today.’ I have a chance to get better. It gave me insight. I’ll be 32 this season. I don’t have much longer to play this game especially at this elite level that I want to play.”

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Heat president Pat Riley has maintained a cutthroat approach to sports for almost his entire life. 

“It’s only been about winning. That’s it. It’s only been about winning,” Riley told USA TODAY Sports. “ Once you’re up here in the winning stratosphere, you’re not thinking about anything else. You’re not thinking about injuries. Play hurt. Don’t worry about it. Be tough. This is about winning, man.”

But the past two-plus decades have allowed a compassionate side to emerge. He was next to Magic Johnson when Johnson announced he was HIV-positive. He was next to Alonzo Mourning when Mourning needed a kidney transplant and he was next to Bosh in the hospital.

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Riley still wants to win. But those things have given him perspective.

“We have to separate this (winning) where there’s no compassion and no sympathy and do it at all costs from what Chris went through,” Riley said.

Bosh of course wants to win, too. He was ready for the season at the start of training camp and scored an efficient 21 points on 13 shots and 10 rebounds in Miami’s season-opening 104-94 victory over Charlotte.

The Heat have a strong starting five and more depth than they had last season, and Bosh believes Miami can compete at the highest level in the Eastern Conference.

“It starts with the words and the thought,” Bosh said. “Now, we really have to do the work. We know we can have a good team. We have to hold ourselves to that standard. This is how we’re going to work. This is how we’re going to play.”

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As the Heat try to put together a special season, Bosh wants one part of his game to be on display. When asked what he worked on during the offseason, he didn’t rattle off the expected answer, such as his three-point shot or low-post game.

A friend pointed out Bosh’s passion was not on display last season as much as it normally is.

“He said ‘This is a chance for you to put your passion back into the game. It’s all right, you got tired, that’s fine. But you can get back out there and get excited again and you can inspire people,’ ” Bosh said. “I just want to be excited when I’m on the court. Talk to the fans. People are here to have fun. I’m here to have fun. I had a job to do but I want to be like it’s playing at the YMCA every Saturday, just like my pops.”