By Kahari S. Nash, “The BooRay! King” & CEO KSN Gaming
Mario “Rio” Chalmers has never backed down from the moment because pressure makes diamonds and he’s been flawless on all levels from High School (Bartlett High School Class 4A Alaska Back-to-Back State Champions 2003 & 2004, Alaska Sports Hall of Fame 2013) to College (University of Kansas Jayhawks 2008 NCAA Championship) to the Pros (Miami Heat Back-to-Back Championships 2012 & 2013).
Whether it was drilling clutch threes in the biggest games or stepping up in the gambling industry with BooRay!, Rio knows how to play the game—and win. From High School to NCAA to NBA Championships to building brand collaborations, he’s been stacking victories on and off the court. And if you know Rio, you know his competitive fire doesn’t just stop at basketball—it carries over to the tables too.
From Clutch Shooter to Strategic Thinker
When Rio was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, I shadowed him without being with him“IYKYK”—watching his back while letting him move around Memphis how he needed to move. That’s what real ones do. His transition from Miami to Memphis wasn’t just about switching jerseys; it was about adjusting to a new arena “The Grindhouse” (FedEx Forum), new teammates (Zac “Z-Bo” Randolph and Tony “The Grindfather” Allen), and a new dynamic“Grit and Grind”. But through it all, one thing remained constant—his love for competition, whether it was on the hardwood or at the card table.
And that competitive drive is exactly why he fits so well into BooRay!—the ultimate table game where instinct, strategy, and a little bit of swagger separate the winners from the rest.
BooRay! & The Business of Branding
When I started putting together the BooRay! x P448 Apparel & Shoe Collaboration, it was all about merging fashion, gaming, and culture. We threw a BooRay! x P448 Launch Party Hosted by Mario Chalmers in Miami on Labor Day (September 4, 2023) at Maü Miami with a Signature BooRay! Menu and BooRay! Song produced by 2X Grammy Award Winning Producer Errol “E-Poppi” McCalla Jr. (Beyoncé, Destiny Childs, Missy Elliott, Tamia, Keyshia Cole, Yolanda Adams), and the numbers spoke for themselves:
• 3.1 Million Impressions on WWD “The Fashion Industry Bible” (P448 Teams with NBA Favorite Card Game BooRay! – September 5, 2023)
• 3.7 Billion Impressions on Yahoo (P448 Teams with NBA Favorite Card Game BooRay! – September 5, 2023)
• 800,000+ Organic Views on P448’s Website
• Back-to-Back Daily Publication in WWD (2nd Day Placement Between Ferragamo &Versace Titled “IN THE CARDS” – September 6, 2023)
That’s the power of brand-building through strategic collaborations, something Rio understands firsthand. He’s been a part of Sports History, and now he’s making moves to be a part of Gambling History–the future of gaming, table games, and the BooRay! Lifestyle Movement.
The Rise of BooRay! On a Global Stage
From the Starry 3-Point Challenge during March Madness 2024 to the 1st Annual SCCG G2E Celebrity BooRay! Exhibition 2024, and now, the upcoming Celebrity BooRay! Game& Celebrity Poker Charity Tournament Hosted by Princess Love, DC Young Fly, Omar Gooding, Mario Chalmers & The BooRay! King at The Bank Event Center ATL (February 27th – March 2nd), we’ve been expanding the reach of BooRay! far beyond the tables.
We’ve taken the BooRay! Brand to Podcasts (Sugar Water Radio’s Liquid Truth “Unleash Your Inner Card Game With The BooRay! King”; HBCU Originals – “From Mississippi to Global Fame: Kahari Nash on BooRay!’s Journey | NBA Stars, Gaming & Culture” and “NBA Stars Bring BooRay! to the World: Kahari Nash and Mario Chalmers”), Social Media (Mark Wahlberg, Kendrick Perkins, Mario Chalmers, Princess Love, DC Young Fly, Omar Gooding, SCCG Management, Stephen A. Crystal, BooRay! Gaming and Kahari Nash aka The BooRay! King) and a Global Audience (YouTube, Instagram, X Formerly Twitter, LinkedIn, Gaming America, Gambling Insider, AP News, Reuters, Yahoo, Business Insider, Market Watch, African Gambit, iGaming News, iGaming Afrika, G “Gaming” & M “Media” News Latin America, This Day Newspaper Nigeria, iGaming Brazil, PASA News China and SCCG’s Weekly Newsletter), positioning BooRay! as more than just a card game—it’s an experience, a culture, and a movement.
And it’s only getting bigger.
• The Celebrity BooRay! TV Series is coming to life on the FUBU Network
• The 1st FUBU Hip Hop Awards & Festival is set for Memphis on August 14th – 17th
• Galway Live + Arena 2025 (June 1st – 4th) Montage Los Cabos, Cabos San Lucas, Mexico
• BooRay! at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas on July 10th – 13th
BooRay! is crossing into mainstream culture the same way Rio did when he hit that legendary three in the 2008 NCAA Semi-Final Game against Derek Rose and the Memphis Tigers to move the University of Kansas Jayhawks on to and win the 2008 NCAA Championship and later helped the Miami Heat and its Big Three (LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh) to win Back-to-Back NBA Titles in 2012 & 2013.
Why Rio Loves BooRay!
For Rio, BooRay! is the perfect blend of everything he thrives on:
• Competition: Just like in the NBA, every hand is about outthinking your opponent.
• Comradery: The same Brotherhood that made him an Elite Teammate translates to the Card Table.
• Luxury & Lifestyle: The Exclusivity, the High-Stakes, the Energy “Action”—it’s all part of the BooRay! Experience.
Just like basketball, BooRay! isn’t just about playing—it’s about playing the right way. And nobody understands that better than Mario Chalmers.
The Bottom Line
Rio’s journey from championship moments to business ventures has been built on calculated risks and big payoffs. Whether it’s launching a global brand, competing in high-stakes table games, or elevating BooRay! to the next level, he brings that same clutch mentality to every move he makes.
With BooRay! expanding its presence in sports, entertainment, and gaming, Rio is once again finding himself in the middle of the action. And if history has taught us anything, it’s that when the stakes are high, Mario Chalmers delivers.
Ante Up, Shuffle the Cards, Deal the Cards, Know Your Suits “Trumps’”…It’s Game Time!
