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Bosh says LeBron 2.0 with Heat makes most sense; agent says 'We're not going to be rushed' into decision

Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun-Sentinel on

Published in Basketball

MIAMI — This time Chris Bosh won’t be impacted by a decision by LeBron James, but the former Miami Heat star said it only makes sense for James to turn back the clock to 2010.

As in when Bosh and James signed on with the Heat as free agents.

This time, Bosh, out of the game since 2016, is merely an interested bystander. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have Miami leanings to James’ next NBA step.

“If I were in LeBron James’ shoes,” Bosh said in a video posted on social media, “I would choose Miami, and here’s why: If you really think about it, where do people go when you’re about to retire or you’re retired? You know what I’m saying?

“You don’t have to make nothing up in this situation. You see that he’s picked up the sticks, he’s got a new hobby in golf. Where can you golf all the time?”

As for the timing of a potential James decision, agent Rich Paul made clear on his latest Game Over podcast that there is no specific timetable for the selection of the icon’s next stop.

“We’re not going to be rushed,” Paul said on the podcast he co-hosts with former ESPN personality Max Kellerman. “We’re not going to be rushed. It’s his choice to make and when he makes the choice, he’ll make it.

“I think it’s important for people to understand: We’re not making this about attention and a spectacle. It’s not about a ‘Decision’ or anything like that. He has a choice to make. He has a business choice to make. We’re not going to sit here and decide or allow someone else to decide when he makes that decision.”

Paul said Heat president Pat Riley and the Heat have been respectful about the process, with Riley saying on Dan Le Batard’s podcast, “This is a man’s decision and you let him make that decision. He has the right to do that. And so I’m not calling Rich every day and bugging him. He’ll make a decision.”

To that, Paul said, “Just like Pat said, again, there have been several people call and say, ‘Hey, Rich, is there anything more we should be doing, we could be doing?’ And my answer is, ‘No. We don’t need you to go above and beyond about anything. We understand it. It’s clear. All the messages have been sent. We get it.’ ”

For his part, Bosh said because James still has game, he can appreciate his former Heat championship teammate taking a deep dive into roster permutations. Still, Bosh said you can have far worse choices than Giannis Antetokounmpo as a teammate.

“Now, of course, they have to work things out with their team and everything,” Bosh said. “But having a guy like Giannis being able to be Giannis, we’ve seen this dynamic before in the possibility of their open court. If you have Giannis and LeBron, we’ve seen this before too.”

He then referenced to what the Heat had with himself, James and Dwyane Wade in advancing to four consecutive NBA Finals from 2011 to 2014, with championships in 2012 and ’13.

 

“They still have to fill out the team, they still have to get shooting and all that stuff,” Bosh continued. “I understand that.

“But if you know anything about the Miami Heat, you know that they want to be competitive, they don’t believe in wasted years. They are going to put a team around Giannis to be able to compete for a championship.”

Bosh said if James rejoins, he is confident the Heat will build it out.

“If it were me, if I were in LeBron James’ shoes, I think Miami is the best choice,” Bosh said. “Still some free agents out there, still the ability to build a team that can compete.”

Bosh, though, said he also could appreciate the family component.

“Those are things that people don’t consider,” he said. “You don’t always see people talking online, like, ‘Well, why doesn’t he just do this, do this, do that, do that?’ We have families, right? And things like that.

“You have to either stay or uproot them and put them in a situation. Kids are in school, they have friends. You have a comfort of life. He’s been in L.A. for eight years, his longest-tenured stay with any team he’s had. So this is a different situation.”

But it also will have to be a different situation, with James parting ways with the Los Angeles Lakers last month.

“With respect to all the other organizations, the Cavaliers, the Timberwolves, Golden State, I think they have a fantastic team if they’re able to add him,” Bosh said. “But if we’re talking being comfortable and competing at a high level, Miami is the play, in my opinion. So think about that one.

“Don’t be surprised if we see it again. And it might be the decision 2.0. Who knows? I mean, we’ve seen it before. You know what I mean?

“Life recycles, right? It just keeps going on and on.”


©2026 South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Visit sun-sentinel.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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