Ruthy Hebard’s got next.

The 23-year-old professional basketball player from Fairbanks is up next in a long line of Alaskans who have played for a major league sports championship over the last 30 years.

The second-year forward is headed to the WNBA Finals with the Chicago Sky, who will face the Phoenix Mercury in the best-of-5 series starting today.

Hebard, of West Valley High fame, will be the second player from Alaska – and first in 12 years – to appear in the WNBA Finals.

Teams in the NFL, NHL, NWHL, NBA and WNBA are 9-5 when playing for a championship with an Alaskan on its roster.

Who was the first? Anchorage’s Mark Schlereth in 1992.

Who was the most recent? Teammates Jordan Smelker and Zoe Hickel of Anchorage in 2017.

With three titles in the NFL, Schlereth has the most major league championships among Alaskans. Former NHL player Scott Gomez of Anchorage won two Stanley Cups and former NBA player Mario Chalmers of Anchorage won the Larry O’Brien Trophy twice. North Pole’s Daryn Colledge also has a Super Bowl ring.

Hebard hopes to add her name to the list of champions from Alaska.

The 6-foot-4 former NCAA All-American averaged 5.8 points and 4.4 rebounds in 30 games this year with Chicago. Her 173 points are the third most for an Alaskan in a WNBA season.

Here are the select few Alaskans who have won major league championships in the United States:

1992
Super Bowl XXVI
Player: Mark Schlereth
Hometown: Anchorage (Service)
Team: Washington Redskins
Winner-take-all: Won 37-24 over Buffalo Bills
The game: Schlereth started at right guard and kept Mark Rypien upright as Washington racked up 417 yards and built a 31-10 lead through three quarters.

 

1998
NFL Super Bowl XXXII
Player: Mark Schlereth
Hometown: Anchorage (Service)
Team: Denver Broncos
Winner-take-all: Won 31-24 over Green Bay Packers
The game: Schlereth started at left guard and was on the field when John Elway orchestrated a 49-yard scoring drive capped by Terrell Davis’ 1-yard touchdown run that gave the Broncos the lead for good with 1:47 to play in the game.

 

1999
NFL Super Bowl XXXIII
Player: Mark Schlereth
Hometown: Anchorage (Service)
Team: Denver Broncos
Winner-take-all: Won 34-19 over Atlanta Falcons
The game: Schlereth started at left guard and was part of an offensive line that opened holes for Terrell Davis (102 yards) and protected John Elway (336 yards) as the Broncos won their second straight Super Bowl.

 

1999
NFL Super Bowl XXXIII
Player: Travis Hall
Hometown: Kenai (Kenai Central)
Team: Atlanta Falcons
Winner-take-all: Lost 34-19 to Denver Broncos
The series: Hall started at left defensive tackle and forced Denver to punt in the second quarter with a big play on third down. He finished with four tackles, including three solo stops.

 

2000
NHL Stanley Cup
Player: Scott Gomez
Hometown: Anchorage (East)
Team: New Jersey Devils
Best-of-7: Won series 4-2 over Dallas Stars
The series: Gomez played in all six games and collected his lone point on an assist in Game 2. In Game 5, he logged 41 shifts and played 28 minutes in a triple-overtime loss.

 

2001
NHL Stanley Cup Finals
Player: Scott Gomez
Hometown: Anchorage (East)
Team: New Jersey Devils
Best-of-7: Lost 4-3 to Colorado Avalanche
The series: Gomez played in all seven games and recorded one goal and one assist for two points. He scored the game-tying goal in the third period that propelled the Devils to a Game 4 win. He also set up the winning goal in Game 5.

 

2003
NHL Stanley Cup Finals
Player: Scott Gomez
Hometown: Anchorage (East)
Team: New Jersey Devils
Best-of-7: Won series 4-3 over Anaheim Ducks
The series: Gomez played in all seven games and registered two goals and three assists for five points. He had a goal and an assist in a Game 2 win. His third-period goal in Game 3 forced overtime.

 

2009
WNBA Finals
Player: Jessica Moore
Hometown: Palmer (Colony)
Team: Indiana Fever
Best-of-5: Lost series 3-2 to Phoenix Mercury
The series: Moore played in all five games, coming off the bench to log 11.4 minutes and average 2.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals. She played 17 minutes and a had a big blocked shot in a Game 3 win.

 

2011
NFL Super Bowl XLV
Player: Daryn Colledge
Hometown: North Pole (North Pole)
Team: Green Bay Packers
Winner-take-all: Won 31-25 over Pittsburgh Steelers
The series: Colledge earned the start at left guard and was part of an offensive line that cleared the way for the Aaron Rodgers and the Packers to gain 338 yards and post a wire-to-wire win.

 

2011
NBA Finals
Player: Mario Chalmers
Hometown: Anchorage (Bartlett)
Team: Miami Heat
Best-of-7: Lost series 4-2 to Dallas Mavericks
The series: Chalmers played in all six games and earned one start on his way to averaging 11.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists. In Game 2, his 3-pointer with 34 seconds left in Game 2 forged a 93-93 tie. He posted 18 points and seven assists in Game 6.

 

2012
NBA Finals
Player: Mario Chalmers
Hometown: Anchorage (Bartlett)
Team: Miami Heat
Best-of-7: Won series 4-1 to Oklahoma City Thunder
The series: Chalmers started all five games and logged no fewer than 33 minutes, showing his importance. He averaged 10.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.8 steals. Scored team-high 25 points in Game 4 win and had a 2-to-1 assist to turnover ratio in the series.

 

2013
NBA Finals
Player: Mario Chalmers
Hometown: Anchorage (Bartlett)
Team: Miami Heat
Best-of-7: Won series 4-3 over San Antonio Spurs
The series: Chalmers started all seven games and played 40-plus minutes in Games 6 and 7. He averaged 10.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He scored nine of his 19 points in the fourth quarter of a Game 2 win and bagged 20 points in a Game 6 overtime win.

 

2014
NBA Finals
Player: Mario Chalmers
Hometown: Anchorage (Bartlett)
Team: Miami Heat
Best-of-7: Lost series 4-1 to San Antonio Spurs
The series: Chalmers started four of five games and averaged 4.4 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists. The point guard had five assists in Game 4.

 

 

2016
NWHL Isobel Cup Finals
Player: Jordan Smelker
Hometown: Anchorage (Service)
Player: Zoe Hickel
Hometown: Anchorage (South)
Team: Boston Pride
Best-of-3: Won series 2-0 over Buffalo Beauts
The series: Smelker started both games at wing and had two assists, the first coming on the first goal of Game 1 and and the second coming on the third goal of Game 2. Hickel played in both games, racking up an assist and hooking penalty in Game 1.

 

2017
NWHL Isobel Cup Final
Player: Jordan Smelker
Hometown: Anchorage (Service)
Team: Boston Pride
Winner-take-all: Lost 3-2 to Buffalo Beauts
The game: Smelker logged ice time as a second-line winger and rang a shot off the post in the second period as Boston lost for just the second time in 19 games.

 

2021
WNBA Finals
Player: Ruthy Hebard
Hometown: Fairbanks (West Valley)
Team: Chicago Sky
Best-of-5: Game 1 is Sunday
The series: Hebard will be the first Alaskan since 2009 to play in the WNBA Finals. The Sky is the first No. 6 seed and just the third team in WNBA history to make the championship series with a record of .500 or worse in the regular season.

 

Here is a list of Alaskans who were affiliated with teams that played for a major league championship but did not play:

 

2001
NHL Stanley Cup Finals
Player: Scott Parker
Hometown: Eagle River (Chugiak)
Team: Colorado Avalanche
Best-of-7: Won 4-3 over New Jersey Devils
The series: Parker was inactive for the Finals but did get his name engraved on the Stanley Cup after having played in four of the team’s 23 playoff games and 69 games during the regular season.

 

2014
NFL Super Bowl XLVIII
Player: Chris Kuper
Hometown: Anchorage (Dimond)
Team: Denver Broncos
Winner-take-all: Lost 43-8 to Seattle Seahawks
The game: Kuper was put on the inactive list for the playoffs, although the reserve right guard played in four games during the regular season. He retired two months after the big game.

 

2018
NHL Stanley Cup Finals
Player: Pheonix Copley
Hometown: North Pole (North Pole)
Team: Washington Capitals
Best-of-7: Won 4-1 over Vegas Golden Knights
The series: Copley did not play. He was called up from the AHL for the playoffs and hung around during the team’s Stanley Cup Finals run as an emergency goalie.