Mario Chalmers Says It Was ‘Difficult’ To Let LeBron James Take Clutch Shots
When the Miami Heat drafted Mario Chalmers in the 2008 NBA draft, Chalmers had just won the NCAA Championship. Not only did Chalmers win the title, but he also hit the finals-winning three-point shot with 2.1 seconds left in the final game.
Winning in general is something Chalmers got used to pretty quickly, especially after LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined the team in 2010. Until James’ departure in 2014, the Heat went to the NBA Finals for four straight years, while winning two titles.
But even though Chalmers was able to team up with one of the greatest players of all-time, it was hard for him to give up clutch last-second shots to LeBron James. That’s what he revealed to Alex Kennedy on the HoopsHype Podcast:
“Playing with one of the greats is a learning experience. It’s a lot of fun, but it’s also hard with all the scrutiny and everything that comes with it. For a player like me that likes to take the last shot, that likes to be in the moment, you got to respect LeBron, you got to let him take those shots sometimes. Situations like that are difficult, but it was fun. I never take away from that experience of playing with that guy. He’s one of the greats.”
While Chalmers, who last played for AEK Athens in Greece, was a key part in the Heat’s two Championships, he obviously was not good enough of a player to take the team’s final shot. In his eight seasons as a Heat player, Chalmers averaged 8.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game.