Chris Bosh, a two-time NBA champion, has revealed that he nearly died earlier this year due to a pulmonary embolism, an event that has prompted him to offer advice to San Antonio Spurs player Victor Wembanyama.
Bosh, whose career was cut short by blood clots, described waking up covered in his own blood in February. He stated that the experience was so severe he "almost dropped dead pretty much and came back to life."
"I was in the hospital for a week," Bosh told Hoops Hype. "But, take your medicine. So, I'm taking my medicine every day, taking care of myself every day, and watching it."
Bosh was forced to retire from the NBA in 2017 after blood clots were discovered in 2015 and continued to form in 2016, causing him to fail physicals with the Miami Heat. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT), the condition where blood clots form in deep veins, can cause swelling and pain, typically in the legs, according to the Mayo Clinic.
He has specifically addressed Wembanyama, who recently had his second NBA season in 2024-25 cut short by a blood clot. Bosh stressed the importance of adhering to medical advice.
"Take your medicine," Bosh advised Wembanyama. "Make sure that he's staying on top of his regimen to make sure that doesn't happen again because it only takes one more time. It happened one more time for me, it happened twice, and I couldn't play anymore. So I guess with him, just making sure he does everything necessary to keep that blood as thin as possible and take care of that body off the court."
Bosh also noted that he experienced no prior symptoms before his own near-fatal event. "Yeah, you got to deal with it for the rest of your life. I thought I was past it. I am not. So, you know, it's just making sure I stay on top of my regimen."
Bosh's revelation comes as Wembanyama recently signed a five-year, $252 million maximum rookie contract extension with the Spurs. Wembanyama's 2024-25 season ended prematurely due to the blood clot issue. Damian Lillard also experienced a blood clot in his right calf last year, missing about a month of play.