Chris Bosh

This highlighted Bosh's importance as the centerpiece of the offense, as well as the leader of the team. The Raptors finished the season 27–55 and Bosh averaged 22.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. Read Less

However, he sustained a foot injury and withdrew from the squad. On June 23, 2008, he was named to the team that would compete in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. During the tournament itself, Bosh operated as the main backup to center Dwight Howard as Team USA went unbeaten in all eight games en route to the gold medal, defeating Spain in the final. He averaged 9.1 points per game, and led the team in rebounds with 6.1 a game. Read Less

However, they were defeated by the Orlando Magic in the first round, losing 4–1.

The first-round series against the Magic was touted as the matchup between two of the league's best young big men in Dwight Howard and Bosh, but the Raptors were perceived to have an advantage because of their dual-point guard play. But Orlando held home court advantage, and the Raptors were unable to win the first two games in Amway Arena. In Game 1, Bargnani started at small forward. This did not matter, as Orlando took a huge lead in the first quarter. Howard dominated the game, finishing with 22 points, 25 rebounds and 5 blocks. The stifling defense held Toronto to 37.6% shooting. Bosh finished 4 for 11 from the field (13 of 13 in freethrows) and the Raptors lost by 14. Game 2 started similarly to Game 1, with Howard's dominance propelling the Magic to a sizeable lead, but solid plays from Bosh, Kapono and Calderón put the Raptors in front late in the fourth quarter. The Magic came back, and with 9 seconds left on the clock, Bosh missed 18-foot jumper as time expired, giving the Magic a one-point win. In Game 3, Ford and Calderón stepped up, and the Raptors preserved some hope with a 108–94 home win. In Game 4, the teams were almost tied going into the fourth quarter. Read Less

He averaged 26 points, 10 rebounds and 3.7 assists in his first three games and was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the fifth time in his career. A week later, he became Toronto's all-time leader in offensive rebounds, surpassing Antonio Davis's record. While Bosh and O'Neal formed a formidable partnership in the frontcourt, the Raptors struggled to surpass the .500 mark. The principal deficiency of previous campaigns—wing players—continued to upend Toronto's progress. With the Raptors at 8–9, head coach Sam Mitchell was sacked and replaced by Jay Triano. Under the new regime, Bargnani finally blossomed as a player, but injuries and weaknesses in the roster meant that the Raptors entered the All-Star break 13 games under .500. Read Less

The blowout loss cost Toronto their tie-breaker and ultimately the eighth seed, as the Bulls finished with 41 wins to Toronto's 40.

After the 2009–10 season was over, there was much speculation over whether coveted free agents such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Bosh would sign with new teams for the 2010–11 season. Bosh was active on the social media front, posting his thoughts on Twitter and having a documentary crew record his meetings with the teams interested in signing him. Read Less

His parting message to the Raptors on his website said: "know that this was my toughest decision, mostly because Toronto has been so great to me. I've loved every minute here and I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart to the Raptors " Not only did Bosh leave Toronto as its all-time leader in virtually all major statistical categories, he was one of only three players in the league who accrued 10,000 points, 4,500 rebounds, and 600 blocks in his seven seasons with the Raptors.

Despite being widely tipped as contenders, the Heat got off to a tentative 9–8 start, and Bosh was perceived to be under-performing. The Heat managed to go on to compile a 21–1 record, however, and were jostling with the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls for pole position in the Eastern Conference as mid-season approached. Miami finished the regular season with 58 wins and faced Philadelphia in the first round of the playoffs. Miami won the series in five games, and also prevailed in five games in the semi-finals against Boston. In the Conference Finals against Chicago, Bosh was particularly instrumental, averaging 23.2 points in the 4–1 series win. He was slow off the blocks in the Finals against Dallas, shooting below .300 in the first two games, but scored the winning shot in Game 3 to give Miami a 2–1 lead. That was the last game Miami won, as Dallas won the next three to win its first ever championship. Read Less

The game was highlighted by a three point shot Bosh made to force the game into overtime with .06 seconds left to play in the fourth quarter. Bosh finished the game with 33 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocked shots. Read Less