'Tigers fans hate me:' 16 years after sinking Memphis Mario Chalmers shoots 3s on Beale Street

Nobody fouled Mario Chalmers, so he took the 3-point shot.

It wasn't 2008 in San Antonio, though. This was Saturday on Beale Street in Memphis, where Chalmers and other former Grizzlies players — Rudy Gay and Tony Allen — took part in a 3-point shooting contest with fans. Chalmers played for the Grizzlies from 2015-18, but he's more known to Memphians for something else.

"Tigers fans hate me," Chalmers told the Commercial Appeal, laughing. "It's all out of good love, though. I know it's nothing vicious. They just love their Tigers."

Chalmers, of course, hit the 3-pointer that sent the 2008 national championship game between Kansas and Memphis to overtime and led to a Jayhawks win. There was a collective groan among Tiger fans on social media when they saw that Chalmers would be shooting 3s in Memphis during March Madness.

"There are big feelings and big emotions about that, but he was a Grizzly," said Shyrl Phallon Bagneris, the Grizzlies' senior director, partnership, marketing and activation. "So we like to focus on that piece."

The event gave fans a chance to shoot 3s at a pop-up event on Beale Street. Chalmers hit 10 out of 14, while Gay hit 9 of 14 and Allen hit 6 of 14. Memphis Mayor Paul Young also broke out his jumpshot, hitting only 2 of 14 but draining the moneyball shot at the end.

Most Tigers fans could probably tell you where every player on the court was standing at the Alamodome nearly 16 years ago. Seeing photos and videos of Chalmers on social media, many Tigers fans had the same response — "Foul!"

Chalmers started his career with the Miami Heat and won two NBA championships, but he was traded to the Grizzlies in 2015 and played with Memphis until 2018. He said Saturday he remembers getting ready for his first game with the Grizzlies and telling Mike Conley he was nervous for the first time in his career — because he didn't know if he'd get cheered or booed.

"When they put me in the game, I get a big standing ovation," Chalmers said. "And it was a warm, welcoming feeling, like, OK, they care about basketball, but they care about a person more than basketball. They understand it. So that was one thing I really appreciated."

Most of the fans on Beale Street Saturday had a similar response. Even Terry Johnson, who showed up in a Tigers shirt but is also a Grizzlies fan, posed for a photo with Chalmers and said he didn't say anything about the shot.

"Mixed emotions, but we're happy that he played for the Grizzlies," Johnson said. "Not happy about the game winner against the Tigers. It's one of those things where you just take the good with the bad."

The event Saturday coincided with NCAA Tournament games being played in Memphis at nearby FedExForum.

There were no groans when Gay and Allen stepped up to shoot, though. Allen is known as the "Grindfather" and has long been a fan-favorite because of his role as one of the faces of the "Grit and Grind" era of the Grizzlies.

He said he relished the opportunity to be around Grizzlies fans, even as he didn't have the best shooting day.

"It's just a beautiful event," Allen said.

Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @thejonahdylan.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Mario Chalmers, villain to Memphis fans, shoots 3s on Beale Street