On Tuesday, the finalists for the 2021 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class were revealed. Amongst the finalists are Paul Pierce, Chris Bosh, Chris Webber, Michael Cooper, Lauren Jackson, Ben Wallace, and Yolanda Griffith.

Pierce is a first-time nominee for the coveted Hall of Fame. He spent 15 of his 19 NBA seasons with the Boston Celtics. A 10-time All-Star, the forward was the face of Boston during his tenure with the team. In 2008, he won the NBA Championship and was named the Finals MVP.

Bosh was nominated for the Hall of Fame last year but did not make it as a finalist. Bosh played 13 seasons before his playing career ended in 2016 because of a blood clot. In 2019, Bosh officially retired with the Miami Heat. Bosh is an 11-time All-Star, two-time NBA champion, and an Olympic gold medalist.

Webber was the number one pick in the 1993 NBA Draft. He is a five-time All-Star and was the focal point of a competitive Sacramento Kings squad in the early 2000s. Additionally, he reshaped college basketball as part of Michigans iconic “Fab Five.”

Cooper spent 12 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers during the “Showtime” era. Cooper won five NBA championships with the team and earned the NBA Defensive Player of The Year award in 1987. Additionally, Cooper was named to the All-Defensive team five times. The shooting guard then coached the Los Angeles Sparks, winning two championships and the 2000 WNBA Coach of the Year award.

Jackson is one of the most decorated women’s basketball players. She is a four-time WNBL MVP and a three-time WNBA MVP. Not only that, but she is a three-time WNBA scoring champion and seven-time WNBA All-Star. Jackson was awarded the Defensive Player of the Year in 2007 and was named WNBA Finals MVP in 2010.

Wallace, better known as “Big Ben,” is regarded as one of the greatest defenders in league history. The big man was a four-time All-Star and an NBA champion. Wallace was named to the All-Defense team six times and is one of two players to win four Defensive Player of the Year awards.

Griffith is an eight-time WNBA All-Star, a former champion, and a finals MVP.

The entire class of 2021 will be announced on May 16.

Jurassic Park grows larger throughout Toronto as the Raptors continue to excite the public this summer . Although this headline may resemble that of a Steven Spielberg film, it thankfully comes without the hungry dinosaurs, plot–essential awful security and disappointing sequels that the film franchise possesses. Rather than a massive chaotic zoo overflowing with prehistoric life, Jurassic Park now defines as Toronto’s basketball community, who’ve acquired a national spotlight during their team’s NBA Finals run.

A tradition initially spawned during a playoff series between the Brooklyn Nets and now NBA Finals–bound Toronto Raptors in 2014, “Jurassic Park” comes into effect during every Raptors playoff game, as fans flood the streets surrounding Scotiabank Arena while their team hits the hardwood against other teams playing for the Larry O’Brien trophy. With a massive television screen broadcasting the events unfolding inside the arena setup outside for fans, Jurassic Park roars after every Kawhi Leonard buzzer beater, Pascal Siakam dunk, and Kyle Lowry three–pointer. Forming a crowd large enough to consume a T–Rex, the Toronto faithful participating in Jurassic Park each night illustrate not only their fandom’s greatness, but also pioneer yet another way for fans to invest themselves beyond reason into their beloved sports teams.

While Raptors fans assemble into Jurassic Park year after year amid their team’s six straight playoff appearances, the fan base now ushers in a new age by stepping things up as the city hosts the NBA Finals’s first two contests. Prior to Game One, fans began stirring about outside the arena just as the sun rose, almost 15 hours before tipoff. By the time each team took the floor roughly 5,000 congregated to cheer on the Eastern Conference champions against the Golden State Warriors. Former Toronto Raptor’s legend Chris Bosh  added to the red and white tsunami outside that arena , as he greeted and chatted up fans before the game, adding a spark to a fanbase already burning bright, as a raging fire outside the arena.

Although Toronto remains a city where the pub TV’s broadcast hockey games, rather than basketball, Jurassic Park’s existence proves basketball has a place in The Six. After the Grizzlies departure for Memphis, Toronto earned the badge as Canada’s only NBA team, and unlike their former Vancouver opponents, the Raptors appear tied to their city amid the team’s success and contagious popularity. Alongside Jurassic Park’s emergence , the team’s year–by–year value increase shows the Toronto basketball project works, and shows no signs pointing to a recess. Jurassic Park stands ready to detonate once more, as Game Two tips off in Toronto on Sunday, June 2, 2018 at 8 p.m. ETS.

Veteran forward Chris Bosh is determined to play in the second round of the NBA Playoffs. His team, the Miami Heat, defeated the Toronto Raptors 102-96 in overtime in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series at the Air Canada Centre Tuesday night.

Chris Bosh Wants Players’ Union To Force Heat To Let Him Play

Bosh has actually grown so frustrated with the Heat’s refusal to let him play that he has reportedly turned to the players’ union for support.

On his EPSN Radio show Tuesday morning, Dan Le Batard discussed the disagreement between Bosh and the Heat. Although the 32-year-old forward and 11-time All-Star is eager to play, Miami’s team doctors have not yet cleared him due to his blood clot condition, which arose in February.

“It’s a super unusual situation,” Le Batard said, as transcribed by Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. “I can’t think of a lot of instances where a sports organization is acting in what appears to be the best interest of the player over their own interests and against the will of the player. From the people I’m talking to, Chris Bosh wants back on the court and now, and the Heat on medical advice are saying absolutely not. They badly want to get to an Eastern Conference Finals against LeBron and they are telling him, ‘No, you cannot work.’”

Doctors have reportedly warned Bosh that a recurrence of blood clots could be very dangerous, no matter how symptom-free he feels. According to Le Batard, only one doctor has so far been willing to clear Bosh, while the others have stated a resounding ‘no.’

Le Batard also added he believes the situation could potentially become even more severe.

“Now I’m hearing the Boshs want so badly on the court that they’re trying to get the union involved,” he said. “They found a doctor who might be willing to clear him … For some reason, he thinks he’s good to go and I think it’s because he’s not showing the symptoms he showed the first time.”

It became clear Bosh was unhappy after his wife Adrienne tweeted the following just last week:

The National Basketball Players’ Association (NBPA) also released a statement on Bosh’s situation:

“Our top priority is Chris’ health and well-being. We have spoken with Chris and his agent, and have reached out to the Miami Heat. We are hopeful that all parties involved can meet as soon as possible to resolve the situation,” the statement read.

Bosh’s presence on the roster will surely give the Heat a significantly higher chance at winning the playoffs, but one can’t blame the team for taking precautions.

Bosh played 53 games this season, averaging 19.1 points and 7.4 rebounds.

Caption: DALLAS, TX – FEBRUARY 03: Chris Bosh #1 of the Miami Heat takes a shot against J.J. Barea #5 of the Dallas Mavericks in the first half at American Airlines Center on February 3, 2016 in Dallas, Texas.

Miami Heat star forward Chris Bosh has returned to taking blood thinners to treat a clot that formed in his leg. This is the second straight year that Bosh has dealt with such a situation over the All-Star break.

Heat’s Chris Bosh Resumes Taking Blood Thinners

Bosh began a strict medication regimen in recent days after the clot diagnosis and hopes to continue playing at some point this season, reports said on Tuesday.

“I hate it for him,” said NASCAR driver Brian Vickers, who has also dealt with clotting issues that have impacted his career. “I would tell him the same thing again, just don’t give up. Just keep fighting. Find a solution and keep going.”

Athletes in contact sports are typically discouraged from playing while taking blood-thinning medication, because of the additional risk of bleeding and other issues.

This time last year, the clot had traveled from Bosh’s leg to his lung. In addition, his lungs became filled with fluid.

Bosh is currently the Heat’s leading scorer, with 19.1 points per game this season. He stated that is confident he will return to play this season.

Vickers and Bosh have been in touch over the last year, since both are now endorsers for the blood-thinning medication Xarelto and have worked on advertising campaigns for the product alongside actor and comedian Kevin Nealon and golfer Arnold Palmer.

Bosh missed the final 30 games of last season after the clot was found, and the Heat missed the playoffs. THe team is 29-24 this season, and getting into the playoffs will surely prove to be a difficult task without Bosh, the team’s best 3-point shooter.

Bosh pulled out of the All-Star Game and the 3-point contest in Toronto due to what he and the Heat described as a calf strain.

The Heat return to practice Wednesday.

“My prayers go out to Chris Bosh,” Brooklyn’s Willie Reed wrote on Twitter. “Get healthy.”

Caption:DALLAS, TX – FEBRUARY 03: Chris Bosh #1 of the Miami Heat takes a shot against J.J. Barea #5 of the Dallas Mavericks in the first half at American Airlines Center on February 3, 2016 in Dallas, Texas.