The Top 50

#19 – Chris Bosh
Over the past year, with the fading of Mats Sundin and Vernon Wells, Chris Bosh has had to assume a new role: no longer just the face of his own franchise, he’s the best pro athlete in Toronto. He runs the city, and as the dude leading the NBA’s last link to Canada, he faces some heavy expectations for his skinny frame to shoulder. So far however, he’s been outstanding, and All-Star and Olympian who leads by example both on and off the court; one of the NBA’s class acts and brightest young stars.

A product of the revered Class of ‘03, Bosh has lived up to his billing as the top big man in the draft, even thrust into the spotlight at such a young age. He was a 19 year-old with just his freshman season at Georgia Tech and 20-some-odd NBA games under his belt when the Raptors traded Vince Carter and he became the future of basketball north of the border. A entire country would be watching. No biggie. He remained cool under pressure, steadily improved his game every year and bulked up, becoming somewhat of a physical presence on a team that sorely missed the likes of Antonio Davis and Charles Oakley. He hit game winners, challenged his teammates and became active in charity work, giving back to the city that had put so much on him; he was everything Toronto could’ve asked for in a franchise player.

Bosh enters ’08-’09 with new company flanking him in the Raps’ starting lineup. JO’s the first All-Star caliber player Bosh will have shared a jersey with (…Vince’s final season with Toronto was hardly “All-Star caliber”), and if he stays healthy will give him much more room to operate in the mid-range game he loves to exploit. Also helping their cause will be the increased role of Jose Calderon and the continuing development of Jamario Moon and (Lord willin’) Andrea Bargnani. O’Neal’s health is the big question mark but this team has the potential to contend in the East if everything falls into place. Their ever-adoring fans in Canada, surely anxious for this team to succeed, will have those same heavy expectations. One thing they can count on for sure is Bosh; fresh off a gold medal in Beijing, he’s not in the losing spirit, and if what he’s done in the face of expectations is any indication, he’ll deliver.