It had already been reported that NBA legends Paul Pierce, Ben Wallace and Chris Webber were going to be a part of the 2021 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class, and now it has been officially announced that Chris Bosh is a member of this group as well.
Bill Russell is going in as a coach after he was already inducted as a player in 1975. Rick Adelman and Jay Wright are also going in as coaches, with Lauren Jackson and Yolanda Griffith inducted for their WNBA dominance. Toni Kukoc is in thanks to the International Committee.
Here's the rest of the class:
2021 Basketball Hall of Fame Class:
Contributors: Val Ackerman, Cotton Fitzsimmons, Howard Garfinkel; Veteran’s Committee: Bob Dandridge; Women’s Veteran Committee: Pearl Moore; Early African-American Pioneers: Clarence Jenkins. https://t.co/w5izDnJpJa— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 16, 2021
Bosh came into the NBA as the No. 4 pick in the loaded 2003 NBA Draft. He played the first seven seasons of his career with the Toronto Raptors before teaming up with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade on the Miami Heat in 2010.
The Heat's Big Three went to four straight NBA Finals and won two of them before they broke up in 2014. Bosh had to sacrifice in a big way and often took a lot of criticism for not putting up big numbers like he used to in Toronto.
However, Bosh's services were invaluable as the defensive anchor and third wheel on offense. Miami needed him in order to win those championships, and he should be appreciated for how good he was.
Bosh stayed with the Heat with Wade after LeBron left, but his NBA career was cut short by blood clots. The big man finished his career after the 2015-16 season with 11 straight All-Star appearances.
As for Russell going in as a coach, he became a player-coach for the Boston Celtics in 1966 after Red Auerbach retired. Russell coached the Celtics until 1969, which is when he retired as an NBA player, and then he also later coached the Seattle SuperSonics and Sacramento Kings.
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