Udonis Haslem: Chris Bosh the ‘Most Important Piece’ of Heat Big Three

In 2010, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh made national headlines when they decided to join the Miami Heat as teammates to form the league’s first player-created superteam.

The Heat’s ‘Big Three’ Era feels like it happened an eternity ago now, thanks to the rapid rise and fall of the Golden State Warriors dynasty. However, with former NBA forward-center Chris Bosh recently named as one of the 14 finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2021, Miami’s most infamous era has re-entered the spotlight.

On Wednesday, 17-year veteran Udonis Haslem discussed Bosh’s potential induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, saying that “we all felt, probably, Chris Bosh was the most important piece of our puzzle” (per the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman):

Bosh, an 11-time All-Star, may not have held the sway or prominence of teammates Wade and James. With that said, the versatility of his skillset and his athleticism at 6’11” allowed Miami build a disruptive defense and dangerous offense that utilized small-ball principles like switching and floor spacing.

As a result, Bosh was certainly key to the Heat winning two championships in four consecutive Finals appearances, stats aside.

Even when looking at the numbers Bosh put up during the Heat’s ‘Big Three” Era though, it’s difficult not to come away impressed. The Dallas native averaged 17.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.0 block per game while shooting .509 percent from the field and .315 from 3-point range from the 2010-11 season to 2013-14.

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