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Dwyane Wade Highlights Mario Chalmers’ Crucial Role in Heat’s Success: 'We’re Not Winning The Way We Did Without Him'

Originally posted on Fadeaway World | By Siddhant Gupta | Last updated Aug 26, 2025 1:13 AM ET

Dwyane Wade showed a lot of love for his former Miami Heat teammate Mario Chalmers after his game-winning shot helped the Miami 305 win the BIG3 Championship. While crediting Chalmers for the shot, Wade also highlighted the guard's shot-making abilities on his podcast, "Wy Network", while also citing how important he was to Miami's title success.

"Mario f***ing Chalmers. That's what he do," said Wade. The Heat legend recalled meeting Chalmers for the first time in Alaska. Chalmers was a high school student at the time, widely considered the best basketball player in the state.

"He came up to me, he got a chance to meet me," Wade continued. "He told me, 'Yo, I'm going to be playing with you one day.' Because he felt I was going to the league, I guess... Very cocky, very confident young man."

"We ended up playing together. We ended up winning two championships together," added the Heat legend. "But along the way, I followed his journey, I followed his career. He won the state championships in high school and won a national championship in college... When we played with each other, I always knew Mario was a big shot maker and big shot taker."

Although Wade admitted this aspect of Chalmers was also a hindrance to some extent, he gave his former teammate his flowers by saying, "First of all, we're not winning the way we won without a Mario Chalmers. We talk about UD, of course. We talk about Mike Miller, Shane Battier, Ray Allen, we talk about those big names. But we don't talk about Mario Chalmers a lot."

Dwyane Wade on Mario Chalmers’ game winning shot in the Big 3 Championship game:

“Mario f*cking Chalmers. That’s what he do… he won state championships in high school, he won national championships in college… we’re not winning the way we won without Mario Chalmers.” pic.twitter.com/Vn8Xy52Rz7
— Wy Network by Dwyane Wade (@wynetwork) August 25, 2025

The Heat franchise had some of its best years during the "Heatles" era, when Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh led the team. While the trio of superstars was impressive enough, it was the supporting cast and key role players that shored up the roster.

Among these players, Mario Chalmers is certainly one of the most important pieces of the puzzle. As Miami's starting point guard at the time, Chalmers had the crucial duty of locking down on defense while being the complementary facilitator on offense, acting as the traditional two-way guard.

During the 2011-12 regular season, leading up to Miami's first title in this era, Chalmers recorded an average of 9.8 points, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. His production in the playoffs improved to 11.3 points, 3.9 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.

Chalmers' intensity and grit may have rubbed his teammates the wrong way, given his heated exchange with LeBron James. But he was a key ingredient in dictating success for the squad.

Wade's praise was noteworthy, especially in light of his eventual exit from Miami. Regardless, Chalmers maintains that Wade was the best leader he had ever played with, presenting the strong bond between them.

This article first appeared on Fadeaway World and was syndicated with permission.

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