Alaska’s Mario Chalmers is back in NBA and loving every minute

DALLAS, Texas — Mario Chalmers truly is just happy to be here. Back in the NBA, that is.

Last season, he was a man without a team.

The Bartlett High graduate ruptured his right Achilles tendon in March 2016, was released by the Memphis Grizzlies that spring and spent last season out of basketball.

Chalmers, 31, returned to the Grizzlies over the summer, and it's safe to say he's overjoyed about returning to the league for his 10th season.

"It's great to be back on the court," he said Thursday after dishing eight assists in a win over the Dallas Mavericks. "Me being away 19 months, not being able to play, going through what I went through, it's just good to be here and know that all the hard work I put in those months is paying off and I'm back."

"I missed this tremendously. This is all I know. Been in the NBA since 2008, just playing basketball since I was 4 years old pretty much and then not being able to play, not having a game, not being able to do what I want to do, it was hard, but the hard work and dedication paid off."

Prior to this season, Chalmers last played March 2016, when the Grizzlies were coached by Dave Joerger. Memphis fired Joerger in May and and hired former Miami assistant coach David Fizdale, who Chalmers knew from his eight seasons with the Miami Heat.

Being reunited with "Fizz" is an opportunity he's savoring.

"He's one of the people I was closest to," Chalmers said. "He was the one I always talked to, always picked my brain, the one I was always working out with, trying to get better with.

"To actually be here, have him as the head coach and play for him is a great opportunity for me, especially for my game because he knows my game."

That high level of respect between player and coach is clearly mutual.

"It's just really cool that I'm here to be a part of the story with him," Fizdale said. "Obviously, I was a big part of his life in Miami, and to see him resurrect it now here (is great).

"I'm a young coach figuring my way out through this thing, and he's here to help me and I just happen to be here to help him bounce back. It's something that just
makes us even closer."

Chalmers considers himself blessed to have only played for two teams, the Heat and the Grizzlies, in his decade-long career. Getting to play for Fizdale played a central role in him returning to Memphis, but a sense of loyalty to the Grizzlies organization was also a determining factor.

"Grateful for everything, they paid for all my rehab, they did everything for me," he said. "For me to have the opportunity to come here and play, I've only played for two teams in my career, so Memphis and Miami mean the most to me, just giving me the opportunity to be here and be able to fulfill my dream."

Chalmers, who won NBA titles with the Heat in 2012 and 2013, is Alaska's only player in the NBA this season. His Alaska roots remain a huge source of pride, even though most of his family has moved away and only a few friends remain in Anchorage from his days at Bartlett.

"I always rep Alaska. That's always going to be home for me," Chalmers said. "It did a lot for me. It's the reason I'm here today, so I always got Alaska with me."

During his previous stint in Memphis, in the 2015-16 season, Chalmers started seven games. In six games so far this season (before Monday night's game against Charlotte), he had come off the bench to average 8.2 points, 3.5 assists and two rebounds per contest.

Fizdale considers Chalmers an integral part of what has been one of the league's top benches early this season.

"You got to almost remind yourself of that, that a guy has 18 months of not playing basketball," Fizdale said. "He's another guy who really committed in the offseason to going to another level. He came in at his lightest weight and body fat of his career. He's been fantastic for us and he gives us a little edge and moxie with his championship experience."

Stephen Hunt is a freelance writer based in Frisco, Texas.