SUMMARY
- LeBron James won $45,000 from his teammate Mario Chalmers in a high-stakes card game called Guts, popular among Miami Heat players.
- Mario Chalmers shared a motivational strategy he used to spur LeBron James during their time with the Miami Heat.
LeBron James, known for his outstanding basketball skills, also seems to have the ability to win off the court. In a high-stakes card game called Guts, LeBron once managed to win $45,000 from his teammate Mario Chalmers.
The game was popular among the Miami Heat players and they used it as a way of bonding during travels. This moment came when Chalmers was confident in his pair of eights was beaten by LeBron’s pair of nines. After winning James went up and down the plane’s aisle and brag about it.
“He fu*king bought the truck,” Chalmers said on “The OGs” podcast. “I wanted to blow that fu*king truck up. He bought the truck and pulled up to practice, ‘coz you know I used to live across the street. So sometimes, I just walk to practice, or I run or do some goofy s**t.”
The story became even funnier when LeBron used his winnings to buy a truck and made fun of Chalmers by offering him a ride to practice. Chalmers, who lived across the street from the practice facility often took a walk and was frustrated by James’ action.
Mario Chalmers used to motivate LeBron James with one word
Mario Chalmers shared a unique method he used to motivate LeBron James during their time with the Miami Heat. Speaking on “The OGs” podcast, Chalmers said that calling LeBron a “b**ch” was to light a fire under James.
“‘You’re the best player out here. Stop being a b*tch and go play… We all know ‘B*tch’ is Bron’s trigger word.”: Chalmers said.
“We get to the bench and I’m like, ‘You’re the best player out here. Stop being a b*tch and go play.’ [LeBron James] took offense to that… We all know ‘B*tch’ is Bron’s trigger word.”
Mario Chalmers on getting LeBron hyped up 😂
(via @theOGsShow)pic.twitter.com/akQPBXqfCo
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 30, 2024
This B-word was used by Chalmers to trigger LeBron after a defensive miscommunication, resulting in an easy 3-pointer for Paul George. Chalmers’ intention was to hold everyone accountable and challenge James and the team to step up. This strategy seemed to work, as it helped the Heat secure a win against the Indiana Pacers.
Miami Heat helped LeBron James and Mario Chalmers make up after their infamous fight
When Mario Chalmers said LeBon James the B-word things could have gone out of hand but the organization stepped in to make things smooth out. Chalmers, in an interview on Run It Back TV, opened up about the incident without going into details but highlighted that it led to a constructive conversation between him and LeBron.
“I mean, that’s what friends do. No, it never got worse. No, actually it got better after that. We talked about it, organization made us talk about it and just make sure everything was smooth. It didn’t go past that.”: Chalmers stated.
“We talked about it, the organization made us talk about it, just made sure everything was smooth.” 😂@mchalmers15 on if his yelling match with LeBron ever escalated.
📺: https://t.co/wdT8I0ST8g pic.twitter.com/428TIc12K3
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) February 1, 2024
Chalmers emphasized that such conflicts are normal among friends and teammates and in their case it actually improved their relationship. The Miami Heat’s approach to managing internal conflicts and maintaining a positive team culture played a crucial role in resolving the issue.