Mario Chalmers is offering a moving story about Kobe Bryant days after Bryant’s posthumous appearance on ESPN’s “The Last Dance.”
In an interview this week with EuroHoops, the former Miami Heat guard Chalmers revealed that Bryant reached out to him when he suffered a torn right Achilles tendon as member of the Memphis Grizzlies in March 2016.
“That was a tough day for me,” said Chalmers of the day that he suffered the injury. “I had conversations with the management about re-signing, it hurt my soul and pride. It gave me a different view of life and basketball. A lot of things went through my mind.
“Kobe was the first person to reach out to me,” he added. “He gave me a call, helped me through my process. Dwyane Wade also was there for me and made sure I was okay. We texted a couple of times after the injury [with Kobe]”.
Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash in January, suffered an Achilles tear of his own in April 2013 at 34 years old and returned to play three more NBA seasons. Chalmers was able to play one more season with the Grizzlies after his injury and now play overseas in Greece.
The incoming Basketball Hall of Famer Bryant had a very memorable cameo in “The Last Dance,” and it is opening the gates for more cool stories about him like this one from Chalmers.
