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Miami is a pretty great place to call home when you’re a professional athlete, but Pat Riley goes to great lengths to keep tabs on members of the Heat to make sure they don’t have too much fun based on what Mario Chalmers had to say about his time with the team.
It’s safe to assume Mario Chalmers was happy to learn he’d been traded to the Miami Heat shortly after he was drafted by the Timberwolves with the 34th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. At the risk of disrespecting the good people of Lawrence, the point guard had slightly more entertainment options to pick from in his new city compared to what was available during his time at the University of Kansas.
Chalmers joined the Heat following Pat Riley’s last season as the head coach of the franchise where he still serves as its president. The rookie ran into an issue before he made his debut when he was dismissed from the NBA’s transition program after being caught with marijuana, so it’s easy to understand why Riley was worried he might fall victim to some of the trappings of The Magic City.
During a recent appearance on Run It Back, Chalmers recalled just how far Riley was willing to go to ensure he stayed on his best behavior, as he said he was unknowingly tracked by a spy who was tasked with keeping tabs on him during a night out on the town in Miami.
Pat Riley planted someone in a bar to watch @mchalmers15 his rookie year😂
"I wasn't in trouble, he was just letting me know like, you can't do nothing in this city without me knowing." 😳 pic.twitter.com/DS2n0YBPCh
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) May 9, 2024
Here’s what he had to say:
“It was during my rookie year. I had went out. You know me, I was just having fun, nothing major, and 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, and then you went home.’ I was like, ‘How do you know everything?’ He was like, ‘Bro, I run Miami. You can’t do nothing in Miami without me knowing.'”
That’s one way to keep your players in line.