by Beth Bragg | Jun 4, 2025 | Alaska Sports Report
The blockbuster lineup of Mario Chalmers, Brandon Dubinsky and Alev Kelter will headline Thursday night’s Alaska Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
The 7 p.m. ceremony is free and open to the public, and a capacity crowd is expected at the Anchorage Museum.
Dubinsky alone has nearly 100 friends and family members attending, according to Hall of Fame executive director Harlow Robinso
Dubinsky, a 13-year NHL veteran from Anchorage, and Kelter, a multi-sport star and Olympic bronze medalist from Eagle River, are being inducted in the People category.
Chalmers, the two-time NBA champion from Anchorage, is already a Hall of Famer — he joined the People category in 2014.
This time he’s being honored in the Moments category for one of the most iconic shots in NCAA Tournament history. You see it every year during March Madness — his 3-point basket with time running out, forcing overtime and propelling Kansas to victory in the 2008 NCAA championships game.
Of the three, only Dubinsky, 39, is retired. He spent six seasons with the New York Rangers and seven with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He remained in Ohio after his final season in 2018-19.
Chalmers is 39 and still playing professionally.
His hometown visit will be brief because it comes in the middle of a promotional tour for the Big 3 three-on-three league.
A nine-year NBA veteran, the durable Bartlett High grad is entering his sixth season in the Big 3, where he ranked in the top 5 in assists and 3-point shooting.
Kelter is 34 and plays two sports professionally. She plays rugby sevens for the U.S.women’s national team and rugby 15s for the Loughborough Lightning of the English Premier League. She helped the United States win the bronze medal in sevens at the 2024 Paris Olympics and is vying a spot on the U.S. 15s team for this summer’s World Cup.
At least she’s used to juggling sports. In college, Kelter was a dual-sport star in soccer and hockey at the University of Wisconsin, where the Chugiak High grad won an NCAA national title with the hockey team.
The induction of Dubinsky and Kelter will bring the number of individuals enshrined in the People category to 49. The inaugural class was enshrined in 2007.
The Moments category will add two inductees Thursday night, for a total of 23.
Anchorage’s selection as the U.S. Olympic Committee’s bid city for the 1992 Winter Olympics will be honored along with Chalmers’ big bucket.
The USOC chose Anchorage over three other cities in 1985, a move that established Alaska as a legitimate host for high-level winter sports. During the five years Anchorage vied for the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics, it hosted the World Junior Hockey Championships and the World Junior Alpine Championships.
The four Hall of Fame inductees will share Thursday’s spotlight with seven Directors’ Award winners.
The big name among this year’s winners is Homer cyclist Kristen Faulkner, who won two gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
She received the Pride of Alaska award as the year’s top female athlete but she won’t be at the ceremony because she’s competing in Europe, Robinson said.
Every other Directors’ Award winner is expected to attend. They include:
- David Norris of Fairbanks, the Pride of Alaska men’s athlete of the year who smashed the Mount Marathon record last summer. Just a few days ago in New Hampshire, he won USA Track’s mountain running championship.
- Jack Leveque of Anchorage, the Pride of Alaska boys athlete of the year who was the top junior-level skier in the nation. The Service High sophomore swept the gold medals in his age group at the U.S. Junior Nationals and was a surprise senior-level gold medalist at the U.S. Nationals.
- Layla Hays of Wasilla, the Pride of Alaska girls athlete of the year who was the state’s dominant post player. She won state championships in volleyball and track & field and was a state runnerup in basketball. Next up is Division I basketball at the University of Iowa.
- Dane Ferguson of Anchorage who will receive the Joe Floyd Award posthumously. Ferguson, who died in December, captured a gold medal in snowmobiling at the 2009 X Games and went on to promote the sport in Alaska by providing kids with safe riding and jumping options. The Joe Floyd Award is given in recognition of lasting and significant contribution to Alaska through sport.
- Rebecca McKee of Anchorage, the adult winner of the Trajan Langdon Award for leadership, sportsmanship and inspiration. McKee, 52, is an age-group powerhouse in triathlon who faced a difficult recovery after a complete hysterectomy. Six months after surgery, she won her age group at the 2024 Ironman Hawaii 70.3-mile triathlon.
- Jackson Snaric of Homer, the youth winner of the Trajan Langdon Award. He was the Division III defensive player of the year whose late interception helped Homer High School capture the Division III state football championship. He plays without the use of his left arm and hand because of a birth defect.