Big Three-Era Heat Champion Officially Signs With New Team

Getty Miami Heat guards Mario Chalmers and Dwyane Wade look on during a 2015 game against the Washington Wizards.

Just over a year ago, longtime Miami Heat fans were hit right in the feels when the team made the surprising move to re-sign two-time NBA champion Mario Chalmers. At the time, the Heat were one of the teams left reeling by a league-wide COVID-19 outbreak caused by the emergence of the virus’ Omicron variant, which opened the door for his return.

It had been three long years since his last Association stint (with the Memphis Grizzlies) and two years longer since his South Beach run ended. But with the team in dire need of bodies, Chalmers — who had just popped back up in the G League — made sense as a short-term, hardship signing.

Ultimately, the Kansas product spent just 10 days with his old club and he never actually made it into a game for head coach Erik Spoelstra. But his pro career continued on anyway, as he finished the 2021-22 campaign with Miami’s developmental affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Flash forward to now and the 36-year-old looks to be resuming his career overseas.

Former Heat Guard, 2x NBA Champion Mario Chalmers Signs With Team in International League

Per an announcement on the team’s official Facebook page on Saturday, Chalmers has signed on the dotted line with the Filipino club Zamboanga Valientes.

The Valientes are currently part of the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL), which is making a comeback this month after closing up shop for three seasons amid the pandemic conditions in Asia. The eight-team international league includes squads from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and even China.

Chalmers is hardly a stranger to international basketball. After a torn Achilles tendon ended his run with the Grizz (and, effectively, his NBA career), he went on to spend time with Italy’s Virtus Bologna, Greece’s AEK Athens and Aris Thessaloniki, as well as Puerto Rico’s Indios de Mayaguez.

However, his last taste of hardwood action in an upper-level league was the aforementioned run with the Skyforce. In 31 games (24 starts) for Sioux Falls, he averaged 11.1 points, 5.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals per outing with 39-36-78 shooting splits.

Chalmers’ Heat Career at a Glance

After winning a national championship and netting NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors with the Jayhawks in 2008, Chalmers was an early second-round pick of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA Draft. Alas, his draft rights were immediately dealt to the Heat.

During his rookie campaign in Miami, he would start in all 82 games for the South Beach crew, putting up 10.0 points, 4.9 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. For his efforts, he was recognized with an All-Rookie Second Team selection.

As his Heat career continued, he remained a steady hand for Spoelstra and Co., typically serving as the starting point guard and helping the franchise win its titles in 2012 and 2013 alongside LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Over parts of eight seasons with the Heat, he logged 525 appearances (383 of which were starts) and averaged 8.8 PPG, 3.8 APG, 2.4 RPG and 1.5 SPG while shooting 36% from three-point range. As of this writing, he ranks first in franchise history in steal percentage (2.9), second in total steals (791), fourth in games played, fourth in assists (2004) and fifth in three-point field goals (657).