After 20 years of elite performances, it’s still not hard to argue that some of LeBron James’s best years in the NBA took place in a Heat uniform. The 19-time All-Star led the franchise to four consecutive NBA Finals appearances and two NBA titles from 2011 to ’14, etching his name among the best players to ever come through Miami.
The stop with the Heat is just a small part of James’s legacy, as the 38-year-old has gone on to enter his name in the conversation among the greatest of all time in the sport. However, Mario Chalmers—James’s point guard during Miami’s four Finals appearances—does not consider James his “greatest player of all time.”
“I feel like Bron is the greatest player to ever play this game but he’s just not my GOAT,” Chalmers said, per Betway. “That’s a personal subject. …It’s not that I don’t like him, I love him to death but I want, for my GOAT, to live and die on their shot. With [Michael] Jordan or Kobe [Bryant], you know they are taking that last shot every time. …Bron is going to make the right basketball play and nothing is wrong with that… It’s just not what I want my GOAT to do. I want my GOAT to shoot it.”
Mario Chalmers sets the record straight! 🗣️
— betway (@betwayusa) June 6, 2023
In our exclusive interview, he shares high praise for the King while offering a unique perspective on why LeBron isn't his GOAT.
🚨 Warning: NO shots fired ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/gl77jRRlvR
Chalmers latest public comments about James come after he stated in March during an interview with Playmaker HQ that “nobody fears Bron” and “they are not scared” to matchup against the 38-year-old.
Chalmers, who made his last NBA appearance during the 2017–18 season with the Grizzlies, also clarified his previous comments about his former teammate, saying it “wasn’t a shot” at him.
“Everybody made it a point to talk about what he [LeBron James] couldn’t do,” Chalmers recalled about James when he initially left the Cavaliers in 2010. “...When Bron heard those negative things, he was in the gym. I was in the gym with him that summer… So, now when you’re matching up with Bron and he’s doing the things that other people and media are saying he can’t do, yes you are going to be scared afterwards. That’s what I meant by that comment. It wasn’t a shot [at James].”
