Former Miami Heat Guard Mario Chalmers Gets Revenge Against Mike Bibby

Jake Elman | Nov 21, 2024

Apr 4, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Miami Heat guard Mario Chalmers (15) dribbles the ball up the court during the first quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-Imagn Images / Raj Mehta-Imagn Images

Former Miami Heat teammates Mario Chalmers and Mike Bibby reunited at the poker table this week.

Unlike the 2011 NBA Finals, the advantage went to Chalmers.

Chalmers posted on his Instagram story he defeated Bibby at a celebrity poker tournament Nov. 20. The caption read: "Mario Chalmers vs. Mike Bibby, Light Work."

Consider it revenge for the 2011 finals, when coach Erik Spoelstra famously started a struggling Bibby at point guard until the series-deciding Game 6. 

Chalmers regained his starting role the next year. He remained the No. 1 point guard throughout the rest of the Big Three era and won two championships with the Heat. 

Bibby, meanwhile, ended his career the next season as a backup on the New York Knicks.

The poker tournament featured other notable names, including Twitch streamer Ninja and 2012 NFL MVP Adrian Peterson. Maria Ho became the first two-time champion in event history and earned a $50,000 grand prize for her efforts.

SHUMPERT BASHES LEBRON

Former NBA player Iman Shumpert shared some comments about his former teammate LeBron James and his decision to form a superteam with the Miami Heat in 2010. 

Shumpert spoke on “The Big Podcast with Shaq” and said James ruined today’s NBA by making it acceptable for stars to team up.

“The person that ruined this is Bron,” Shumpert said. “I felt like Bron’s stance, and it’s like Mike. If Mike made it okay for y’all, just be like “Yeah, I’m leaving his team, and I’m going to another cause I don’t like what the owners are saying.” if Mike would’ve did that, there wouldn’t been no loyalty cause we all quote on quote wanted to be like Mike, right. 

“And I felt like even though Steph was good I felt like Bron was the guy that did it cause I feel like when Bron made it okay for people to team up, it stopped making this star player have to come back with something added to their game.”

HEAT DROP IN PLAYER RANKINGS

This week’s power rankings weren't kind to the Miami Heat.

Then again, a 6-7 start and a viral loss don’t exactly land most teams in the top 10.

ESPN released its latest power rankings Nov. 20. Miami finished 18th of 30 (or 13th-worst, depending on your perspective) after going 1-2 last week.

Those three games included a memorable last-second Nov. 12 loss to the Pistons. Spoelstra earned a technical foul when he called a timeout with none left late in overtime.

The Pistons sank a winning free throw with 1.1 seconds remaining.

NBA.com also ranked the Heat 18th this week, a two-spot drop from last week. 

JAQUEZ LOOKS TO BOUNCE BACK

Jaime Jaquez is an integral part of the Miami Heat rotation this season, averaging 23 minutes across nine games.

Jaquez sustained a high ankle sprain Sunday night against the Indiana Pacers, forcing him to miss Monday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers. His playing status is day to day.

Jaquez's availability is frustrating to say the least. When asked how difficult this season has been in terms of being able to get on the court, the 2023 first round draft pick had this to say:

"It’s been tough," Jaquez said. "Missing games is never easy, especially when you work so hard in the offseason to get physically and mentally ready. I’m staying focused on my recovery, supporting my teammates from the sidelines, and doing everything I can to get back to 100 percent as soon as possible."

BUTLER CONTINUES CLIMBING SCORING LIST

Jimmy Butler scored 30 points in Monday’s blowout victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. In the process, he passed former All-Stars Tim Hardaway Sr. and Goran Dragić among the Heat’s leading scorers. 

Butler ended Monday night with 6,363 points in a Heat uniform, good enough for ninth place all-time. He surpassed Hardaway (6,335) and entered the top 10 early in the game. 

Later in the night, Butler moved past Dragić, who scored 6,348 points in his seven seasons with the Heat. 

Butler’s next target is another former teammate. Udonis Haslem has a 223-point lead on Butler for eighth place. 

MORE HEAT NEWS

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Jake Elman works as a contributing writer to Miami Heat on SI. He can be reached at jakeelman97@gmail.com or follow him on X @JakeElman97.