By Dionysis Aravantinos / info@eurohoops.net
Mario Chalmers was the latest guest on the Eurohoops IG Lockdown. The two-time NBA champion, NCAA and BCL champion and shared stories from his NCAA days, winning the NBA title back-to-back with the Heat and playing alongside Dwayne Wade and LeBron James.
“That shot in the 2008 championship kinda put me on the map”, he mentioned of playing against Derrick Rose and evening the score right before the end of the game.
Then a few years passed, and he found himself in a title-winning team with the Miami Heat and remembers winning his first title vividly. “It was a big night. Afterwards, I think I went on a tour, in Vegas, New York. It felt special to put my name in the history book like that and leave a legacy for my family”, Chalmers told Eurohoops.
He then dug deep to share a touching story of how Kobe Bryant helped him recover from a season-ending Achilles tendon injury.
“That was a tough day for me. I had conversations with the management about re-signing, it hurt my soul and pride. It gave me a different view of life and basketball. A lot of things went through my mind. Kobe was the first person to reach out to me. He gave me a call, helped me through my process. Dwayne Wade also was there for me and made sure I was okay. We texted a couple of times after the injury [with Kobe]”.
Among other things, Chalmers also paid his respects to Michael Jordan when asked to pick between him and LeBron James. “He’s the GOAT, not even a question.”