Almario Vernard "Mario" Chalmers (born May 19, 1986) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player who last played for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA D ...

. He was selected as the 34th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft by the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

after playing three seasons of college basketball for the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...

. Chalmers was named the 2006–07 Co-Defensive Player of the Year and the Most Outstanding Player of the

2008 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The 2008 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2007–08 basketbal ...

after winning the 2008 NCAA championship. In the NBA, he was the starting point guard for two championship-winning teams with the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

and

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

. Chalmers is the only Alaskan to win a championship in the high school, college, and pro levels.

Family life

Mario is the son of Ronnie and Almarie Chalmers, parents who have each played active roles in developing basketball players. Ronnie Chalmers is a former head basketball coach at Bartlett High School and assistant coach at the University of Kansas. Almarie Mosley Chalmers has coached many basketball camps and has written a book about raising a basketball family titled ''The Ball is in Your Court: Embracing Your Child's Dreams.'' Mario has an older sister named Roneka, who lives in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most popu ...

, where the Chalmers family lived for some time. Mario is the father of four kids. He has three sons named Zachiah A'mario Chalmers, Prynce Almario Chalmers, and one that has an unknown public name. In addition, Mario has a daughter named Queen Elizabeth Chalmers. He is the cousin of former

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

guard Lionel Chalmers, and former Minnesota Timberwolves guard Chris Smith.

High school career

Chalmers attended Bartlett High School in

Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring ...

, where he was named the 4A State Player of the Year three times in a row, joining Trajan Langdon as the only other player to receive such acclaim. Chalmers led his high school team to two state championships in 2002 and 2003, and a runner-up finish in 2004. As a senior in 2004–05, he was named a McDonald's All-American as well as a third-team ''Parade'' All-American. Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Chalmers was listed as the No. 2 point guard and the No. 12 player in the nation in 2005.

College career

Chalmers considered

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

, Wake Forest and

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

before finally committing to the

on May 21, 2004.

Freshman year

Chalmers began his college career on the bench behind guard Jeff Hawkins, but worked his way into the starting rotation in January 2006. He finished the season starting 21 of the final 22 games (missing only senior night). He finished his freshman year averaging 11.5 points per game, which was second highest on the team. He became the second freshman in Big 12 history to win Conference Player of the Week honors and was named National Freshman of the Week twice. He also set the KU and

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...

record for most steals in a season by a freshman with 89. Chalmers was named to the Big 12 All-Rookie Team, Big 12 All-Defensive Team, All-Big 12 Honorable Mention (Coaches), Third-Team All-Big-12 ( AP), Big 12 All-Tournament Team and the Big 12 Tournament MVP after helping Kansas win the

Big 12 tournament The Big 12 Conference sponsors championships in 23 sports, 10 men's and 13 women's. The first conference championship awarded was the 1996 softball postseason tournament championship, which was won by Oklahoma. From 2011 through 2016, the foot ...

. In 33 games, he also averaged 2.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.7 steals per game.

Sophomore year

Chalmers was second on the team in scoring with 12.3 points per game as a sophomore, recording four 20-point games during the 2006–07 season. In the Big 12 Coaches Awards, Chalmers was named Co-Defensive Player of the Year with Marcus Dove of

Oklahoma State Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, ...

. He also earned third-team All-Big 12 and All-Big 12 Defensive Team honors. His season total of 97 steals put him in first place in Kansas basketball history for steals in a single season.

Junior year

Chalmers averaged 12.8 points per game during his junior year. He also led the team with 4.3 assists per game, 46.8% three-point shooting accuracy, and 97 steals. His 97 steals tied the school's single season record, a record that he set as a sophomore. He scored 30 points in Kansas' win in the Big 12 Conference tournament title game against

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. Chalmers was again named to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team, and earned second-team All-Big 12 honors. Chalmers helped his team win the 2008 NCAA Championship with a three-point shot with 2.1 seconds left in the final game. His three just before the end of regulation brought the game into overtime, where Kansas took over and defeated the Memphis Tigers, led by phenom freshman

Derrick Rose Derrick Martell Rose (born October 4, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one year of college basketball for the Memphis Tigers before being draft ...

. Chalmers was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. It was the Jayhawks' fifth national title (including two pre-tournament titles in 1922 and 1923). In April 2008, Chalmers declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final year of college eligibility. On February 16, 2013, the University of Kansas basketball program retired his jersey, #15.

Professional career

Miami Heat (2008–2015)

After working out for 13 teams, Chalmers was drafted with the 34th overall pick in the second round of the 2008 NBA draft by the

. When asked immediately after being drafted how many times he had watched his overtime-forcing three-pointer against Memphis in the NCAA championship, Chalmers responded, "a million times." The rights to Chalmers were later included in a trade with the

. The Heat signed him on July 8. Chalmers Wizards

On September 3, 2008, Chalmers and fellow former Kansas Jayhawks teammate

Darrell Arthur Darrell Antwonne Arthur (born March 25, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks for two seasons where he was part of the 2007–08 national championship team. He was draf ...

were excused from the NBA's rookie transition program. Fellow NBA rookie

Michael Beasley Michael Paul Beasley Jr. (born January 9, 1989) is an American professional basketball player, who most recently played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for Kansas State Universi ...

was not asked to leave the camp, but was later fined $50,000 for his involvement in the incident.

2008–09 season

Chalmers started all 82 regular season games his rookie year and finished the season averaging 10 points, 4.9 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 2 steals, and 32 minutes per game. His two steals per game ranked number one among all rookies and the fourth highest among all players. On November 5, 2008, in just his fourth NBA game, Chalmers set a franchise record for steals in a game with nine.

2009–10 season

After having not missed a game up until the January 30 game against the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 196 ...

, Chalmers missed his first game in his two-year career. The next day, he was ruled out indefinitely with a torn ligament in his left thumb. Chalmers returned to action on February 19 against the Memphis Grizzlies and played out the remainder of the season and the playoffs.

2010–11 season

Upon the Heat's acquisition of

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest p ...

in July 2010, Chalmers handed over No. 6 to James, after wearing it during his first two NBA seasons, and changed to his collegiate number of 15. In Game 5 of the 2011 NBA Finals, Chalmers made a half-court shot at the buzzer of the first quarter to give the Heat a 31–30 lead. However, the Heat went on to lose the game to the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. Th ...

112–103 and trailed in the series 2–3. Chalmers had 15 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. In Game 6, the Heat fell to the Mavericks, as they lost the series 4–2.

2011–12 season

On June 15, 2011, the Heat extended a qualifying offer to Chalmers, making him a restricted free agent in the offseason. On December 9, 2011, Chalmers re-signed with the Heat on a three-year, $12 million contract. On February 15, 2012, Chalmers was named a participant in the 2012

NBA All-Star Weekend Three-Point Shootout The Three-Point Contest is a National Basketball Association (NBA) contest held on the Saturday before the annual All-Star Game as part of All-Star Weekend. The 2019 iteration of the contest involved ten participants. From its introduction in 19 ...

. He was eliminated in the first round. Chalmers was highly praised for his 25-point performance in Game 4 of the 2012 NBA Finals. He scored 12 points in the fourth quarter to help the Heat win the game. In Game 5 of the NBA Finals, Chalmers recorded 10 points, 7 assists, and 2 rebounds in 34 minutes of action as he helped the Heat win the 2012 NBA championship. It was Chalmers' first NBA title.

2012–13 season

On January 12, 2013, Chalmers scored a career-high 34 points against the Sacramento Kings, making 10 three-pointers. He tied the Heat's record for most three-pointers in a game. On June 9, 2013, during Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

, Chalmers led all scorers with 19 points as the Heat tied the series 1–1 with a 103–84 victory. In the sixth game of the series, on June 18, he scored 20 points to help the Heat secure a 103–100 win. He won his second championship on June 20, as the Heat defeated the Spurs to conclude an intense seven game series.

2013–14 season

On April 4, 2014, Chalmers scored a season-high 24 points in the 121–122 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He finished the regular season with averages of 9.8 points and 4.9 assists in 73 games. The Heat advanced to the 2014 NBA Finals to record their fourth straight Finals appearance. The Heat faced the San Antonio Spurs again, but unlike past Finals series, Chalmers struggled and was replaced in the starting lineup by Ray Allen in Game 5. The Heat ended up losing the series in five games.

2014–15 season

On July 14, 2014, Chalmers re-signed with the Heat. On November 22, 2014, he scored a season-high 24 points in the 99–92 win over the Orlando Magic.

Memphis Grizzlies (2015–2018)

On November 10, 2015, Chalmers was traded, along with James Ennis, to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for

Jarnell Stokes Jarnell D'Marcus Stokes (born January 7, 1994) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball at the University of Tennessee. ...

and

Beno Udrih Beno Udrih (born July 5, 1982) is a Slovenian former professional basketball player who serves as a player development coach for the New Orleans Pelicans. He previously played in the NBA for the San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings, Milwaukee Bucks ...

. He made his debut for the Grizzlies three days later, scoring 11 points off the bench in a 101–100 win over the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

. On November 16, 2015, he scored a season-high 29 points in a 122–114 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. On March 10, 2016, he was ruled out for the rest of the season after rupturing his right Achilles tendon in Memphis' 116–96 loss to the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

the previous night. He was subsequently waived by the Grizzlies. In November 2016, after recovering from the Achilles injury, Chalmers was ready to make his comeback. However, he went unsigned throughout the 2016–17 season. On July 19, 2017, Chalmers re-signed with the Grizzlies.

Virtus Bologna (2019)

On March 3, 2019, Chalmers joined Virtus Bologna of the Italian

Lega Basket Serie A The Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) is a professional men's club basketball league that has been organised in Italy since 1920. Serie A is organised by Lega Basket, which is regulated by the Italian Basketball Federation (FIP). It is the highest-tier ...

(LBA), signing for the rest of the season with an option to extend it for the 2019–20 season. In the 10 games he played for Virtus (including the LBA and the Champions League), he averaged 7.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 3 assists per game. Chalmers won the 2019 FIBA Champions League title with Virtus.

AEK Athens (2019–2020)

To stay in shape, Chalmers returned to the US during the summer to join the

Big3 Big3 (stylized BIG3) is a 3-on-3 basketball league founded by hip hop musician and actor Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. The league consists of 12 teams whose rosters include both former NBA players and international play ...

League. On November 4, 2019, Chalmers joined AEK Athens of the

Greek Basket League The Greek Basket League (GBL), often also referred to as the Greek A1 Basketball League, or Greek Basketball Championship (originally called Panhellenic Basketball Championship), and also known as the Stoiximan Basket League for sponsorship reaso ...

, signing a two-month contract with an option to extend it for the rest of the season, which AEK exercised on January 16.

Aris (2020–2021)

On September 21, 2020, Chalmers signed a one-year contract with

Aris Thessaloniki Athlitikos Syllogos Aris Thessalonikis, means Athletic Club Aris Thessaloniki
...

of the Greek Basket League.

Indios de Mayagüez (2021)

On September 27, 2021, Chalmers signed with Indios de Mayagüez of the

Baloncesto Superior Nacional The Baloncesto Superior Nacional, abbreviated as BSN, is the first-tier-level professional men's basketball league in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1929 and is organized by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation. The Baloncesto Superior Naci ...

Grand Rapids Gold (2021)

On December 18, 2021, Chalmers signed with the Grand Rapids Gold of the

Sioux Falls Skyforce (2022)

On December 31, 2021, Chalmers returned to the

on a 10-day contract via the hardship exemption after the team placed 5 players in the NBA health and safety protocols. However, he never played a game for the team. On January 14, 2022, Chalmers was acquired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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, 73 , , 22 , , 24.8 , , .401 , , .318 , , .745 , , 1.8 , , 3.4 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 7.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 70 , , 28 , , 22.6 , , .399 , , .359 , , .871 , , 2.1 , , 2.5 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , 6.4 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , align="left" ,

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, 77 , , 77 , , 26.9 , , .429 , , .409 , , .795 , , 2.2 , , 3.5 , , 1.5 , , .2 , , 8.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 73 , , 73 , , 29.8 , , .454 , , .385 , , .742 , , 2.9 , , 4.9 , , 1.6 , , .2 , , 9.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 80 , , 37 , , 29.6 , , .403 , , .294 , , .774 , , 2.6 , , 3.8 , , 1.5 , , .1 , , 10.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 6 , , 0 , , 20.0 , , .313 , , .091 , , .923 , , 2.3 , , 3.2 , , 1.3 , , .2 , , 5.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Memphis , 55 , , 7 , , 22.8 , , .417 , , .326 , , .827 , , 2.6 , , 3.8 , , 1.5 , , .2 , , 10.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Memphis , 66 , , 10 , , 21.5 , , .379 , , .277 , , .855 , , 2.4 , , 3.0 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 7.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 646 , , 400 , , 26.7 , , .417 , , .351 , , .793 , , 2.5 , , 3.7 , , 1.5 , , .2 , , 8.9

Playoffs

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Charity

Chalmers is the founder of the ''Mario V. Chalmers Foundation'', which supports athletic and educational programs for children and also helps fund programs for breast cancer research. During the summer of 2012, Micah Lancaster and Chalmers directed the ''Miracle Shot Mario Chalmers'' basketball camp in

Salina, Kansas Salina is a city in, and the county seat of, Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,889. In the early 1800s, the Kanza tribal land reached eastward from the middle of the Kansas Territory. In 1 ...

. In 2013, Chalmers established a travel team program for youth boys called ''Team Rio National''. The U17 team is one of the top ranked teams in the nation and competes in the AAU. Chalmers offers his own annual basketball camp, the Mario Chalmers Miracle Shot Basketball Camp, to help kids learn and develop basketball skills. In the past, he has hosted his camps in

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...

, his college town, and Anchorage, Alaska, his hometown. His camp is for beginners that want to learn the fundamentals and basic skills of basketball and has a section for the more advanced players.

References

External links

Mario Chalmers
at draftexpress.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Chalmers, Mario 1986 births Living people 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American sportspeople Aris B.C. players AEK B.C. players African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Italy American men's basketball players Basketball players from Alaska Big3 players Grand Rapids Gold players Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball players McDonald's High School All-Americans Memphis Grizzlies players Miami Heat players Minnesota Timberwolves draft picks Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Point guards Sioux Falls Skyforce players Sportspeople from Anchorage, Alaska Virtus Bologna players

Family life

High school career

College career

Freshman year

Sophomore year

Junior year

Professional career

Miami Heat (2008–2015)

2008–09 season

2009–10 season

2010–11 season

2011–12 season

2012–13 season

2013–14 season

2014–15 season

Memphis Grizzlies (2015–2018)

Virtus Bologna (2019)

AEK Athens (2019–2020)

Aris (2020–2021)

Indios de Mayagüez (2021)

Grand Rapids Gold (2021)

Sioux Falls Skyforce (2022)

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Charity

See also

References

External links