Heat’s Chris Bosh is ‘ready to play’ after clots

Associated Press

MIAMI

Chris Bosh has decided he’s ready to play for the Miami Heat again.

He’ll soon find out if the Heat agree.

Bosh, whose last two seasons were cut short by blood clots, said in a podcast released Wednesday that he’s healthy and plans to be with his team for training camp that starts Sept. 27 in the Bahamas. He said he has not been cleared to play, and did not address if any new clots have formed in recent months.

“We released a statement back in May saying as soon as I’m ready to play, as soon as possible, we’ll play,” Bosh said. “And I’m ready.”

Bosh made the comments on the “Open Run” podcast , part of LeBron James’ digital platform called Uninterrupted. He had been almost completely silent about the issue since the second clot saga began with the discovery of one shortly after he arrived in Toronto on Feb. 11 for All-Star weekend events. Bosh did not reveal that clot when he did interviews the following day.

On the podcast, he expressed frustration over not being able to return for Miami’s playoff run last spring, said this offseason was a struggle and discussed how the bloodthinning regimen utilized by NHL player Tomas Fleischmann — whose career was also threatened by clots — was something he found intriguing.

“I’m not the first athlete to do this regimen,” said Bosh, who did not specifically say if he’s on bloodthinners. Bosh’s representatives did not immediately respond to request seeking clarification.

Bosh went on bloodthinners after each of his first two known episodes with blood clots. Athletes in contact sports are generally discouraged from playing when taking such medication because of the heightened risks of bleeding and other complications.

Fleischmann has managed to return, and connected with Bosh through their agents this summer.

“He asked how I’m doing it and how it works, how I was able to play hockey,” said Fleischmann, a former member of the Florida Panthers. “I explained it to him. ... When I spoke to him he was pretty confident that he could play again and he wants to do everything he could to get back in the game.”