Some people spend their entire lives winning championships.

In yesterday’s BIG 3 finals, the Miami 305 team secured the championship with Chalmers’ buzzer-beating three-pointer, overcoming the Chicago Triplets 52-48. Chalmers appeared composed after making the clutch shot, given his extensive experience with winning titles.

Throughout his career, Chalmers has won two high school state championships, one NCAA championship, two NBA titles, and a BIG 3 league championship after retiring.

Chalmers grew up in Alaska, USA, where the summer days are bathed in 24-hour sunlight. In his community, everyone played basketball from dawn till dusk, and the sport dominated most of Chalmers’ life.

During high school, Chalmers played for the team coached by his father and became the star player. He led the team to two state championships and was named state MVP for three consecutive years.

Later, his father took a position at the University of Kansas, and Chalmers chose to attend this prestigious school. In his freshman year, he didn’t start immediately but earned the starting point guard spot halfway through the season and never gave it up throughout his college career.

As a freshman, he averaged 11.5 points and 3.8 assists per game, shooting 37.5% from beyond the arc, which was somewhat inconsistent. However, he recorded an impressive 89 steals that season, highlighting his defensive prowess. In his sophomore year, Chalmers improved, boosting his three-point percentage to 40.4% and tallying 97 steals.

In his junior year, which was also his final college season, he averaged 12.8 points and an astonishing 46.8% three-point shooting, while again achieving 97 steals, setting a new school record at Kansas.

However, the most remarkable moment of Chalmers’ college and professional career came in his last college game: the NCAA Final Four match between the University of Kansas and Memphis University, where Derrick Rose played.

With just over two minutes remaining, Kansas trailed by nine points. Given that each possession lasts 35 seconds in the NCAA, Memphis seemed certain to win, holding a comfortable lead that appeared to secure their victory. But then, the unexpected happened.

Memphis missed several free throws in a row, and their composure faltered under the pressure of the championship. With 10.8 seconds left, Kansas had possession, trailing by three points and with a chance to tie. Before falling, a teammate passed the ball to Chalmers, who dribbled, stepped sideways to the top of the arc, faced a flying Rose defender, and calmly drained a three-pointer.

The game went into overtime, where Kansas surged to claim the championship. Rose and Memphis were just one step away from victory, but Chalmers’ three-pointer shattered their hopes. Derrick Rose’s dominant freshman career was marked by this bittersweet moment.

Interestingly, years later, Chalmers was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies by the Heat. He was nervous, fearing the local fans might still “hold a grudge” over that shot, but the Grizzlies fans welcomed him with applause.

In the 2008 draft, despite winning the MOP award and gaining widespread attention, Chalmers was selected only in the second round as an older rookie. He quickly proved he deserved a first-round pick. In just his fourth career game, Chalmers recorded nine steals, which remains the Heat’s single-game steal record to this day.

Many focus on Chalmers’ three-point shooting, but his steals are equally a signature strength. Besides the iconic three-pointer in the NCAA final, he also made four steals in that game.

Chalmers’ NBA career started strong but then dipped before shining again. He started all 82 games as a rookie and made the All-Rookie Second Team. However, in his second and third seasons, he oscillated between starting and bench roles, competing with Arroyo for the starting spot.

In his third season, when LeBron James and Bosh joined the Heat, Chalmers gave up his number 6 jersey to LeBron and switched to 15. After the 2011 Finals loss, he reclaimed the starting point guard role for the 2011-12 season and held it for three years—his career’s most glorious period.

In Game 4 of the 2012 Finals, Chalmers emerged as a key contributor with 25 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals, including 12 points in the final quarter. In Game 6 of the 2013 Finals, while Ray Allen’s clutch three-pointer is widely remembered, Chalmers shot 7-for-11 to score 20 points.

During both championship runs, Chalmers posted multiple 20-point games, fully deserving the two championship rings on his fingers. Wade recently said, “Without him, we (the Heat) wouldn’t have won the title the way we did.”

Among NBA players, high school championships are common, and many win NBA titles each year, but few have collected both NCAA and NBA championships. Currently, the only active players I can think of with both are Davis, Horford, Brown, and DiVincenzo, who won by default in 2021.

Therefore, Chalmers’ career-long collection of championships, including those won even after retirement, is an achievement to be proud of.