Two-time NBA champion Chris Bosh has detailed a harrowing medical emergency that occurred earlier this year, during which he blacked out and woke up in a pool of his own blood.
Bosh described the incident, which happened as he was preparing for a date night with his wife. "There was no warning. I didn't have any time to prepare for it," he stated on X. "I was getting ready to go on a date with my wife, and the next thing you know, I was on the ground. I woke up covered in my own blood. It was crazy. It was fast. It was instant."
In a subsequent interview with HoopsHype, Bosh elaborated that he "almost dropped dead pretty much and came back to life," confirming the event was another pulmonary embolism. He spent a week in the hospital and emphasized the ongoing need for daily medication and self-care.
According to the Mayo Clinic, a pulmonary embolism is a blood clot that blocks blood flow to an artery in the lung, a condition that can be life-threatening but is manageable with prompt treatment.
Bosh's basketball career was significantly impacted by health issues, leading to his retirement in 2019. He was first diagnosed with blood clots in his lung in June 2015, which ended his 2014-2015 season. After returning for the start of the 2015-16 season, he experienced another blood clot, this time in his leg, discovered during the 2016 NBA All-Star break. He was unable to pass a physical for the 2016-17 season and ultimately announced the end of his playing pursuits in 2019.
In a separate incident, San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama spoke in December 2025 about his own battle with deep vein thrombosis, a condition involving blood clots in deep veins. Wembanyama recalled a period described experiencing a significant emotional breakdown upon receiving his diagnosis and noted that the Spurs subsequently shut him down for the season to allow for recovery. By the summer, he was cleared for full basketball activities following successful treatment.