Chris Bosh Says He Almost Died in January from Pulmonary Embolism, 'I'm Not Joking'

Basketball Hall of Famer Chris Bosh revealed during an interview with Sam Yip of HoopsHype that he nearly died last January after suffering a pulmonary embolism.

"Yeah, I had an episode in January," Bosh said.

"I almost dropped dead pretty much and came back to life. I'm not joking. Yeah. I had another pulmonary embolism. It was in January. Yeah, yeah, this past year. I was in the hospital for a week. But, take your medicine. So, I'm taking my medicine every day, taking care of myself every day, and watching it. So, I mean, no symptoms came either, you know, so.

"Yeah, you got to deal with it for the rest of your life. I thought I was past it. I am not. So, you know, it's just making sure I stay on top of my regimen."

The Mayo Clinic defines a pulmonary embolism as follows:

"A pulmonary embolism is a blood clot that blocks and stops blood flow to an artery in the lung. In most cases, the blood clot starts in a deep vein in the leg and travels to the lung. Rarely, the clot forms in a vein in another part of the body. When a blood clot forms in one or more of the deep veins in the body, it's called a deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

"Because one or more clots block blood flow to the lungs, pulmonary embolism can be life-threatening. However, prompt treatment greatly reduces the risk of death."

Bosh has unfortunately dealt with multiple blood clot issues in recent years, and they ultimately led to the end of his NBA career.

ESPN's Anthony Gharib summarized the ordeals.

"The former Miami Heat star first dealt with a blood clot in February 2015, when a clot formed in one of his legs and traveled to a lung, leading to a multiday hospitalization. He was released from the hospital and wound up playing 53 games in the 2015-16 season—the final campaign of his 13-year NBA career.

"Bosh was diagnosed with a second blood clot in his leg in February 2016 and missed the remainder of the season. He revealed in 'Rebuilt,' his documentary released that September, that Heat doctors told him his basketball career was 'probably over' after the second diagnosis."

Bosh tried to play the 2016-17 season with Miami but failed a physical in advance of the campaign. He was waived in 2017 and announced a comeback attempt in 2018 but retired in 2019.

Last February, Bosh discussed a recent near-death experience where he woke up covered in his own blood. He spun his experience forward and offered advice to his followers, imploring them to not wait to take positive actions in their lives because time is short.

Thankfully, Bosh is OK and now trying to pursue a career in media, as told to Yip. He did some work for Amazon Prime during the NBA Cup and NBA Finals and also made appearances for NBC as well.

Bosh averaged 19.2 points and 8.5 rebounds over his 13 seasons with the Toronto Raptors and Heat. He made 11 All-Star teams and earned All-NBA Second Team honors in 2006-07. In addition, Bosh won a pair of NBA titles in 2012 and 2013 alongside LeBron James and Dwyane Wade on the Heat.