Alaska News

Ex-Bartlett High baller becomes Alaska's first-ever NBA champion

As the Anchorage Daily News reports, former Bartlett High School star Mario Chalmers became Alaska's first NBA champion Thursday after he and his team, the Miami Heat, secured the title Thursday.

Chalmers played basketball for Bartlett in Anchorage before moving onto the Kansas University court following graduation in 2005. He was part of the 2008 championship team for the Jayhawks, and made a big splash when he hit a three-pointer with two seconds left to send the final game into overtime.

Following his healthy college career, Chalmers was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, that same year, he was traded to the Miami Heat, where he's been ever since.

Chalmers is only in his fourth season as a pro, but already the 26-year-old has won a championship at all three levels of competition in the sport.

At the end of Thursday's game, Chalmers scored that exceptional hat trick, not something witnessed often. Additionally, he helped out the Heat with seven assists, two steals, two rebounds and a cumulative 10 points. The Miami Heat beat out the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-106.

Another Alaska basketball player with more years in the league is still hoping to achieve a championship of his own. Carlos Boozer is a former Juneau-Douglas High School standout who went on to play for Duke and currently plays for the Chicago Bulls, who were eliminated in the first round of this year's playoffs.

Craig Medred

Craig Medred is a former writer for the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Dispatch and Alaska Dispatch News. He left the ADN in 2015.

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