Former Miami Heat guard and two-time NBA champion Mario Chalmers recently provided clarification on his comments about LeBron James during a podcast appearance alongside Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller on The OGs with Udonis Haslem & Mike Miller, presented by Playmaker HQ.
Chalmers explained his 2023 comments, stating, “When I said it right, I was basically saying that the players that we went against didn’t fear LeBron. The Danny Grangers, the Luol Dengs, the Jimmy Butlers, the people that we were seeing in the playoffs, they didn’t fear Bron because the media was killing him the year he came to Miami.”
He emphasized that media narratives didn’t accurately reflect LeBron’s abilities, adding, “Both of y’all know I was close as hell to Bron. So when he’s going to work out, he’s calling me like Rio, come on, let’s go work out. So during the workouts, I hear conversations, I hear him saying, ‘People don’t think I could do this. Okay, let me work on this.'”
Chalmers shed light on LeBron’s dedication, dispelling misconceptions about his skills. Regarding their current relationship, Chalmers disclosed, “I don’t know. I honestly don’t know. I mean, I shoot him a text here and there. Say what’s up, congratulations and all that. Sometimes he texts back, sometimes he don’t.”
Expressing continued admiration for LeBron, Chalmers stated, “I don’t think there’s beef between us. I still got a lot of love for LeBron. He helped me get my championship. That’s one of my favorite teammates. I ain’t got no beef. I don’t have no disrespect to him.”
