MIAMI — Chris Bosh has failed his physical and the Miami Heat will not clear him for training camp next week, casting serious doubt on his playing future.
It’s a major setback for the 11-time All-Star forward, who wants to resume playing even though each of his last two seasons was cut short by blood clots.
Bosh was examined by multiple doctors in recent days in an attempt to be cleared for camp, which begins next week.
“The Miami Heat regret that it remains unable to clear Chris to return to basketball activities, and there is no timetable for his return,” the team said in a statement, citing medical privacy regulations for not going into specifics.
The Miami Herald reported doctors found evidence of continued clotting, believed to be related to one of the two previous blood clot episodes. The complication is not considered life-threatening, but it reportedly requires medication to treat and it’s unrealistic to play while on blood thinners.
Bosh’s representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Bosh has done a number of interviews with Uninterrupted — LeBron James’ digital platform — in recent weeks, saying in one of those that “nothing” would keep him off the court this season even though the discovery of blood clots ended each of his past two seasons at the All-Star break.
“I’m ready to play,” Bosh said last week.
The Heat are apparently not ready to agree.
And now it would seem that Miami and Bosh — the last remaining member of the “Big Three” grouping of himself, James and Dwyane Wade who is still with the Heat — may be headed for a battle that could require league intervention with a player who wants to get back on the court potentially facing off against a team that would surely argue it is operating with his health in mind.
The team holds media day in Miami on Monday and starts training camp in the Bahamas on Tuesday. It’s unclear if Bosh will even be present for those events.