Anchorage's Mario Chalmers is back in the NBA.
After suffering what was feared to be a career-ending injury nearly 18 months ago, the 2005 Bartlett High grad on Wednesday signed a one-year deal with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Chalmers, 31, was a guard for the Grizzlies when a ruptured Achilles tendon sidelined him in March 2016. He was waived by the Grizzlies, missed the rest of the 2015-16 season and was an unsigned free agent for all of the 2016-17 season.
Chalmers was the starting point guard for the Miami Heat's 2012 and 2013 NBA championship teams. He was a three-time Alaska Player of the Year at Bartlett High and starred in college for the Kansas Jayhawks.
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His return to Memphis, announced Wednesday by the team, puts him back in business with David Fizdale. The Memphis head coach was an assistant coach at Miami during the years Chalmers played for the Heat.
The Heat traded Chalmers to Memphis in November 2015. He played in 55 games for the Grizzlies, averaging 10.8 points and 3.8 assists.
In eight seasons in the NBA, the 6-foot-2 Chalmers has appeared in 580 games and owns averages of 9.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals.