Former Kansas Jayhawks basketball guard Mario Chalmers is returning to the NBA
Former Kansas basketball guard Mario Chalmers is returning to the NBA’s Miami Heat at the age of 35.
Chalmers, a 6-foot-3. native of Anchorage Alaska, who played for KU’s 2008 NCAA championship team then later won NBA titles in 2012 and 2013 with the Miami Heat, is expected to sign a 10-day contract with the Heat, his agent told Shams Charania of the Athletic and Stadium.
The Miami Herald reported Chalmers will be added to the Heat roster as a COVID-19 replacement. The Herald indicated Chalmers will join the Heat in Houston for a game on Friday against the Rockets.
According to the Herald, Chalmers will be the sixth COVID-19 replacement signed by Miami in recent days. The others: forward Zylan Cheatham, guard Kyle Guy, forward Haywood Highsmith, forward/center Aric Holman and guard Nik Stauskas.
The Heat is working to have the NBA minimum eight available players for Friday’s contest, the Herald reported. The Heat-San Antonio game, set for Wednesday, was postponed because the Heat did not have enough players available for the game.
The Herald says the Heat has six players currently in the NBA’s health and safety protocols: Cheatham, Udonis Haslem, Kyle Lowry, Max Strus P.J. Tucker and Gabe Vincent.
Chalmers tore his Achilles tendon in March of 2016, an injury that ultimately derailed his NBA career. He recently signed with the NBA G League’s Grand Rapids Gold and averaged 8.5 points per game in his first two games.
Chalmers appeared in 22 games for Aris Basketball Club of Greece during the 2020-21 season. He averaged 10.5 points (on 46% shooting, 37% from three) and 2.3 assists per game. He last played in the NBA in 2018 with the Memphis Grizzlies. Since then, he has played in Italy, Greece and Puerto Rico.
“Finishing my career where I started would mean the world to me,” Chalmers said as quoted by Hoops Rumors, referring to playing again in the NBA. “I first got drafted into the NBA. I never had dreams of walking away from the game of basketball overseas, so this would be a great way to end my career. Just being back at home in front of the fans that helped me get to where I am today.
“I have a lot left in the tank,” Chalmers added. “I have fresh legs, a fresh body and am ready for that full NBA grind again. A lot of teams are fighting for those 16 playoff spots, so at the end of the day if someone gets hurt or COVID becomes an issue I’m ready. I’ve been in the gym. I catch on fast and won’t miss a beat. I’ve been there before. At the end of the day I know what it takes to help win a championship.”
This story was originally published December 30, 2021 at 5:38 PM with the headline "Former Kansas Jayhawks basketball guard Mario Chalmers is returning to the NBA."
