Chris Bosh’s road to recovery

Just last week – amid the bright lights of the All-Star Weekend in Brooklyn and New York – Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat was on top of the world.

The 30-year-old Bosh made his appearance doubly sweet when he won his third straight title in the Shooting Stars competition together with Dominique Wilkins and Swin Cash, saying that he will pop a bottle of champagne in the locker room to feel that real championship experience.

The following day, he delivered 10 points and three rebounds for the Eastern Conference All-Stars before flying to Haiti for a brief vacation with his wife, Adrienne.

It was quite an experience.

Bosh was in the stratosphere of basketball nirvana.

Then came the bad news.

The Heat announced that Bosh's season is officially over after blood clots were found in one of his lungs. It was a scary development to the point that it could have killed him due to severe infection had doctors didn't detect it immediately.

The team said Bosh is under the care of its physicians and the initial prognosis is good.

"His health will be restored," said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. "That’s the most important thing. That’s bigger than basketball."

"It’s been very emotional for all of us. I was in constant contact with CB. But he didn’t know, either, until they were able to go through all the tests and see all the specialists. ... I can’t imagine how tough it was for Chris and Adrienne."

Spoelstra added that bringing Bosh back on the court isn't their priority right now. Yes, they will miss his 21.2 points, 7 rebounds and 2.2 assists average per game this season, but the most important thing now is for him to overcome this condition and live a normal life.

"We’re not even thinking about that right now," Spoelstra said. "The most important thing is he’ll be healthy again. We’ll get a game plan as we continue to get more information."

Bosh condition reminds fans of another great Heat center – Alonzo Mourning.

Few months after leading the Heat to a memorable season where he averaged 21.7 points a game, 9.5 rebounds and 3.7 blocks a game while winning his second straight NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award and starring for Team USA in the Sydney Olympics, Mourning was diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a kidney condition that sidelined him for the first five months of the season. He returned for the Heat's final 13 games of the regular season, but he was no longer the same player again, prompting the Heat to decline his contract renewal as his condition continue to worsen.

Mourning would sign a four-year deal with the New Jersey Nets as a free agent in 2003, but he could no longer take the demands of playing in the NBA.

He retired two months later and underwent a successful kidney transplant.

Though his condition robbed him of his athleticism and defensive prowess, he tried to bounce around the league in pursuit of his new identity. From New Jersey, he hopped to Toronto before taking a flight back to Miami where he would team up with a future Hall of Famer in Shaquille O'Neal to form one of the league's most dreaded frontlines.

After an outstanding season where he finished the regular season third in blocked shots with 2.66 per game in an average of only 20 minutes of action, Mourning would team up with veterans Antoine Walker and Gary Payton in pursuit of a crown.

And together with a young Dwayne Wade, the Heat crushed the Dallas Mavericks to win his first NBA crown.

He returned for one last season before calling it a career after tearing the patellar tendon in his right knee. Incidentally, the injury happened on the fourth-year anniversary of his successful kidney surgery.

Mourning wrapped up his career as the Heat's all-time leader in points scored.

So yes, there's still a gleam of hope despite the career-threatening condition Bosh is currently into.

He may be out now, but the final buzzer has not yet sounded.

He will be back on the court, stronger and better.

And just like in the All-Star Weekend, Bosh will still be around to pop the champagne and savor another championship experience.