A high school "Mr. Basketball" in Texas, Bosh left college at Georgia Tech after one season with the Yellow Jackets men's basketball team to enter the 2003 NBA Draft. He was selected fourth overall by the Toronto Raptors in a very competitive draft class. While at Toronto, Bosh emerged as one of the young stars in the league; he became a five-time NBA All-Star, was named to the All-NBA second team once, and appeared for the US national team (with whom he won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics). In the 2006–07 season, Bosh led the Raptors to their first NBA Playoffs berth in five years, and their first ever division title. He left Toronto in 2010 to join the Heat. Bosh won his first NBA title after Miami defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 4–1 in the 2012 NBA Finals.
Bosh was nicknamed "CB4" by Toronto Raptors play-by-play commentator Chuck Swirsky, a combination of Bosh's initials and then jersey number. Seeking to promote sports and education amongst youths in Dallas and Toronto, Bosh set up the Chris Bosh Foundation and regularly speaks to youths about the benefits of reading.
