Chris Bosh said Thursday that he was "close" to leaving the Miami Heat before ultimately deciding to sign a five-year, $118 million contract to stay with the team.
"It was close. I'm not going to lie," Bosh said on "The Zaslow and Joy Show" on FM 104.3 The Ticket in Miami. "It was close. It was a weird situation because we were waiting so long and I didn't know what was going on.
"I think you're always in a situation where it is close even if you don't leave because teams got very aggressive on me. And I guess as soon as LeBron made up his mind, that's when everything could fall in line. But I was just waiting, so I didn't know what was going on."
Bosh waited until July 12 to agree to stay with the Heat, making his decision just hours after LeBron James left to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Bosh was hotly pursued by the Houston Rockets before opting to take the offer from the Heat.
Bosh, who was out of the country on vacation at the time, said he followed James' decision but didn't know what his teammate was going to decide until it was announced.
"The longer it dragged out, the more I figured this could happen," Bosh said. "When it happened, of course I was surprised and shocked and everything. But after a while, I can understand. I can't say I'm surprised, but you just move on. It got me excited for the next chapter."
Bosh will play on a Heat team that includes Dwyane Wade, Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole and Chris Andersen, and newcomers Josh McRoberts, Luol Deng, Shabazz Napier and Danny Granger.
"I think we have a very good team," Bosh told The Ticket. "Looking at the guys we're bringing in, we have a chance to be very good. I know we don't have the best player in the world; that's an obvious thing. But teamwise, if we come together we can do a bunch of special things. We're still going to be competitive. It gives us an opportunity to play with a chip on our shoulder. It has revitalized my attitude towards basketball a little bit. And I'm really excited."