After LeBron James took his talents to South Beach, the Miami Heat were instantly elevated to championship status, especially with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade at his side. But for the franchise’s other stars, Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller, the All-Star forward is the clear winner between the three.
In the four seasons the Big 3 played together, the Heat won two rings by showing how dominant the team was. During that period, James averaged 26.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.7 steals per game while Wade posted averages of 22.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.6 steals per contest.
Bosh, for his part, was less productive in Miami than his time playing for the Toronto Raptors. During the four years he played with James and Wade, the All-Star big man averaged 17.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists.
Even if his numbers were poorer than those of James and Wade, there’s no denying his part in the Heat’s pair of championships was still important. And even though the two moved on to other teams, Bosh still continued playing at a high level until his forced retirement due to a blood clot.
The Reason Why Chris Bosh Was The Real Star of Miami Heat Big 3
Although a lot of people see James as the best player in the Heat’s Big 3 era, there are some who stand by Bosh as the real MVP, such as Haslem and Miller. The two former Miami stars share more in an episode of The OGs on Youtube:
“Everybody think that our most important player was Bron. Our most important player, not our best player was CB [Chris Bosh]. Because if Bron went down you could bring in D-Wade and it’s not the same player but you’re gonna get similar results. We couldn’t simulate it we didn’t have another CB. If that went down and got hurt we didn’t have another one of those,” Haslem said.
“The way Spo [Erik Spoelstra] started using him too, made him impossible to guard. He was shooting threes. That man was cold brother!” Miller added.
Even though his teammates had the better numbers, the impact Bosh had on the team was far more important, according to Haslem and Miller. The two added that Bosh’s ability to hit threes opened up the floor for other Heat players, elevating the team’s offense in the process.
With James the only remaining player from the Heat’s Big 3, more people will flock to him as the best Heat player from that period. Nevertheless, Bosh will always hold an important place in Miami history, especially with Haslem and Miller dropping some praise on his name.
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