Mario Chalmers set to rejoin the Memphis Grizzlies

By Matt Tait     Jul 19, 2017

Brandon Dill/AP Photo
Memphis Grizzlies guard Mario Chalmers (6) plays in the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015, in Memphis, Tenn.

In June, while back in town for Bill Self’s basketball camps and the annual Rock Chalk Roundball Classic, former Kansas guard Mario Chalmers said he said he was in search of the “right fit” for him in his quest to return to an NBA roster.

Tuesday, Chalmers found that fit, agreeing to a one-year, partially guaranteed deal with the Memphis Grizzlies for the 2017-18 season, according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The upcoming stint will mark Chalmers’ second go-around with the Grizzlies, with whom he played and enjoyed success during the 2015-16 season following a successful seven-year run in Miami in which he won a pair of NBA titles with LeBron James and Dywane Wade.

Traded away to Memphis in 2015, Chalmers averaged 10.8 points and 3.8 assists per game while playing behind starter Mike Conley and took on a heavy leadership role during 55 games with the franchise that season.

The run ended in March of 2016, when Chalmers ruptured his Achilles’ tendon, an injury that sent him to the sideline and rehab for the entire 2016-17 season. According to Chalmers, his first game of any kind since then came in June when he joined a few fellow former Jayhawks in scrimmaging the current squad at Self’s camp and Chalmers said then he was eager to return to the NBA.

Brandon Dill/AP Photo
Memphis Grizzlies guard Mario Chalmers (6) plays in the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015, in Memphis, Tenn.

It was when he was asked if he wanted to compete for a starting role or if he would be comfortable as a back-up that Chalmers said he merely was concerned about the right fit and, evidently, he believes he has found it in Memphis.

Chalmers, 31, likely will be the Grizzlies’ third point guard, behind Conley and a either Andrew Harrison, Wade Baldwin IV or rookie Kobi Simmons. All three players are 22 or younger, which should give Chalmers and his veteran status an opportunity not only at playing time but also at picking up where he left off as a leader.

In Memphis, Chalmers also will join a pair of former Jayhawks in Ben McLemore and Wayne Selden Jr., both shooting guards who signed with the Grizzlies this summer.

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.