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A federal judge on Monday dismissed a sweeping antitrust lawsuit brought by Mario Chalmers and other prolific college basketball players against the NCAA. Chalmers, the former Kansas Jayhawk, filed the antitrust class action last year alongside 15 other former college hoopers, who claimed that the NCAA is unjustly enriching itself off the name, image and likeness (NIL) of its athletes to promote the annual March Madness basketball tournament.
Mario Chalmers: 'There was a different stigma that came with playing against MJ. That’s just not the same with LeBron James'
Mario Chalmers: Look, I played 10 years in the league. I was on two teams. I played against 450 different players over that time. And when you talk to people—guys I played with, guys who played before me—they all say the same thing. With Jordan? It was fear. They called him ‘Black Jesus.’ They called him ‘Black Cat.’ There was a different stigma that came with playing against MJ. That’s just not the same with Bron. Now, don’t get it twisted—Bron’s the best overall player you could want as a superstar. Physically gifted, can do everything on the court. But my GOAT? The guy I’d want to live and die with in a big moment? That’s Jordan. That’s just me."
Mario Chalmers: I think the biggest thing with Bron is—he doesn’t want to not be liked. You know what I’m saying? Like, I don’t care if you dislike me, but I don’t want you to not like me. Bron is a good person at heart. He wants to be loved. He lets people into his family. He lets y’all see his everyday routine. Jordan? He wasn’t doing that. He didn’t care. Kobe? Definitely wasn’t doing that.
Mario Chalmers: The whole plane was looking at Bron, like, ‘Wait… is he really mad about cookies right now?’ And he was. He was hot. And I get it, though—he had a routine. Every flight, he had two bowls of chocolate chip cookies. Like, eight in each bowl. Then he’d go to the back of the plane, get two scoops of ice cream, and tear that joint up. So, when they took the cookies? Man… he was pissed. Like, really pissed. And that’s when we all kind of looked at each other like, ‘Oh… this might be it. He’s gone after this season.’ I swear, I don’t ever wanna see that man mad like that again. You better get out of his way if he ain’t got his cookies. And here’s the kicker… we were on a 27-game winning streak. That’s why this is even crazier. We’re on the longest win streak in the league, and you really just removed this man’s cookies?
While that talk will likely continue Chalmers who has heard the noise, would like to see the Heat and Butler work it out. “Not saying that he’s leaving,” he tells Scoop B Radio. “It’s just saying, we gotta make some more pieces to make this team a championship contender. We’ve been there so many times, we just haven’t gotten over the hump yet. We gotta figure this out. I don’t think it’s any bad blood, I just think it’s a business decision.”
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While many experts have accused James and his agent, Rich Paul of nepotism by forcing the Lakers hand in drafting Bronny James, Chalmers praises the James family and Paul for protecting Bronny’s best interest. “I salute Bron,” Chalmers said of his former Heat teammate. “I salute him and his son for even having a chance, to have his son be that good to be at that level and Bron for being in shape to still be at that level. You can’t take that away from him. “I have no problem at all. I think it’s a perfect opportunity. History has been made, more importantly Black history has been made.”
He spoke fondly of the Heat’s rivalry with the Boston Celtics and fellow Kansas Jayhawk, Paul Pierce. “You know it’s always gonna be bad blood between Boston and Miami,” Chalmers tells Scoop B Radio. “I talk crap to Paul Pierce and he talks crap to me. It’s always gonna be a rivalry.”
Kansas stars Mario Chalmers and Sherron Collins are among 16 former men’s college basketball players who have sued the NCAA and multiple conferences, claiming they are profiting from the unauthorized use of their names, images and likenesses in promoting and monetizing the March Madness tournament.
Chalmers hit a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left to force overtime in the 2008 national championship game against Memphis on the way to the title. The lawsuit says the NCAA and Turner Sports Interactive – another defendant – have profited from replaying Chalmers’ shot without paying him.
[The OGs Show] Mario Chalmers on the Heatles: "I was the only person signed with the Heat. There was nobody else there. So they built the team around me. I told Pat, I need Bron. I need UD. I need DWade.."
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Mario Chalmers on Pat Riley's message to Jimmy Butler: 'It could be a couple different hidden meanings, it could be weight and body fat'
Mario Chalmers on Pat Riley's message to Jimmy Butler: "When Pat tells you something like that, it could be a couple different hidden meanings. It could be weight and body fat, which I don't think is a problem. It could be getting to the gym earlier. It could be not liking somebody that Pat doesn't like."
Mario Chalmers: "It was during my rookie year... Pat was like, 'You went out last night.' I was like, 'Yeah, how did you know?' He was like, 'Yeah, you were at this bar, you had this many drinks of your drink, and then you went home.' I was like, 'How do you know everything?' He's like, 'Bro I run Miami. Like you can't do nothing in Miami without me knowing.'"
Shaquille O'Neal on fearing certain players: 'I've never really heard any player say they feared LeBron'
Shaq: "I've heard players say, including myself, 'I feared [Michael Jordan].' I've heard players in [Mario Chalmers's] generation say they feared Kobe. I've never really heard any player say they feared LeBron."
Mario Chalmers: “I always take it back to that first game in Cleveland. LeBron's first game. I've never seen fans that mad at a person from people trying to throw batteries on the court. We had somebody try to grab an officer's gun. It was just crazy stuff like that. And it was just like, you guys are really that mad that he left Cleveland to come to Miami. I'm confused. How can you be that mad?
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