Chris Bosh: LeBron James Told Me He Was Leaving Heat in 2014 in Text Message
Former Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh told ex-NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on the "All the Smoke" podcast (h/t TMZ Sports) that former teammate LeBron James told him he was headed back to the Cleveland Cavaliers as a free agent in 2014 via text message (58:50 mark).
"Through a text," Bosh said while laughing when asked how he found out James was leaving.
"I thought he was BS'ing, and then, you know, about 10 minutes later it's everywhere."
"I understand it. I get it. At the time, I didn't understand it. At the time, in my mind, I was ready to put the team together ... because we had just lost. So we wanted to put something back together so we could win. And it really didn't go like that."
"I took offense to it, to be honest with you, at first. I was only thinking of how I felt about it. And you know, me and 'Bron talked about it, but you know, I'm a competitor..."
Bosh also said that it took "months for him to get over it."
James, Bosh and Wade played together in Miami from 2010-2014, winning four Eastern Conference titles and two NBA championships.
Their final year culminated in a five-game series loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the 2014 NBA Finals.
Wade and Bosh stuck with the Heat, but James headed to Cleveland, which won the next four Eastern Conference titles and the 2016 NBA Finals.
Bosh and Wade played two more seasons together. The Heat went 37-45 and missed the 2014-15 playoffs before going 48-34 and reaching the 2015-16 Eastern Conference semifinals.
Unfortunately, Bosh's career was abruptly cut short due to blood clots, which ended his 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons prematurely. He finished his career as an 11-time All-Star, averaging 19.2 points and 8.5 rebounds in 14 seasons for the Toronto Raptors and Heat.
Wade left for the Chicago Bulls in 2016 and briefly reunited with James on the 2017-18 Cavs before returning to Miami to finish his career. He retired in 2019 as a 13-time All-Star and eight-time All-NBA team member.
James departed Cleveland for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018. The four-time NBA MVP led L.A. to the 2019-20 NBA title in October.
