Parts of this article (those related to Entire article) need to be updated. The reason given is: The sources are old. Is the divisional structure still as described? No international competition and ranking updates since 2016.(June 2023) |
Wheelchair basketball in the United States is governed by the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA). The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF), and the US Olympic Committee recognize the NWBA as the official national organization. [1] [2] Internationally, both the men's and women's national teams participate in Paralympic and World Championships as well as regional tournaments.
There are currently eight divisions in domestic wheelchair basketball competition in the US. [3]
This division is for children aged 13 and younger. This is the only division where an aspect of the court is altered, the basket is lowered to 8.5 ft.
This division is for children ages 13 to 18, and they must be enrolled in school. There are no alterations to the court for this division.
This division is for adult teams and allows newer players and newer or lesser developed teams the ability to play at a developmental or recreational level. New adult teams begin in this division. As they compete, they have opportunities to advance to Division II.
This division is for adult teams and allows experienced and more developed players and teams to play mid-level competition. Teams in this division have opportunities for promotion to Division I.
This division is for adult teams. Formerly known as Championship Division, it allows elite level and experienced individuals and teams to play at the highest level of domestic competition.
This division is for men attending a University that has a sponsored team. Intercollegiate Division features collegiate athletes promoting their schools through wheelchair basketball. Some of the most enthusiastic crowds can be found at these games.
This division is for women attending a university that has a sponsored team. Most of the time, but not always, a college that has a women's wheelchair basketball team also has a men's wheelchair team. The Intercollegiate Women's Division features some of the best college level women athletes. The ball used is the standard women's size basketball.
This division is for women aged 15 and older. The Women's Division features a number of community teams solely developed for the women's game. The ball used is the standard women's size basketball.
This section needs to be updated.(May 2022) |
The United States men's national wheelchair basketball team has participated in the Summer Paralympic Games since the first edition in 1960. [4] As of the 2016 Summer Paralympics they have won six gold, one silver and three bronze medals. [5] The team also competes internationally in the IWBF World Wheelchair Basketball Championships, [6] the Parapan American Games, and in the IWBF U23 World Wheelchair Basketball Championships.
As of the 2016 Summer Paralympics the United States women's national wheelchair basketball team have won four gold, one silver and three bronze medals. As of the 2014 edition, the team's record at World Championships is two gold and four silver medals. [7]
The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) is the international governing body for the sport of wheelchair basketball. IWBF is recognized by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) as the sole competent authority in wheelchair basketball worldwide. International Basketball Federation has recognized IWBF under Article 53 of its General Statutes.
National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) is composed of 181 wheelchair basketball teams within twenty-two conferences. Founded in 1949 by Timothy Nugent, the NWBA today consists of men's, women's, intercollegiate, and youth teams throughout the United States and Canada. The league is made up of various divisions for athletes ranging from the ages of 5 to 18 for junior divisions, and 7 adult divisions.
The IWBF World Wheelchair Basketball Championship is an international wheelchair basketball competition contested by the men's and the women's national teams of the members of the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF), the sport's global governing body.
The European Wheelchair Basketball Championship, is the main wheelchair basketball competition contested biennially by national teams governed by IWBF Europe, the European zone within the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation. The European Championship is also a qualifying tournament for the IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships and the Paralympic Games.
Steven Serio is a wheelchair basketball player. As a co-captain of the USA Men's National Wheelchair Basketball Team, he led the American men to their first Paralympic gold medal since 1988 at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games and defended the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. He currently plays for the New York Rolling Knicks in the NWBA Championship Division.
Matt Scott is an American wheelchair basketball player.
Wheelchair basketball at the 2012 Summer Paralympics was held from 30 August to 8 September. Competitions were held at the newly built Basketball Arena, which seated 10,000 spectators, and The O2 Arena. Australia were the defending champions of the men's championship, while the United States were the defending champions of the women's championship.
Michael Mathew Hartnett, OAM is an Australian wheelchair basketball player who won a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Paralympics and the 2010 and 2014 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship.
Grant Karlus Mizens, OAM is an Australian wheelchair basketball player. He was born in Sydney, New South Wales.
Jannik Blair is a 1 point wheelchair basketball player who has played for the University of Missouri and the National Wheelchair Basketball League Dandenong Rangers. He is a member of the Australia men's national wheelchair basketball team, making his debut in 2009, and was member of the Australian team that won the silver medal at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in wheelchair basketball and represented the Rollers at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, his third Games.
Jason Nelms is an American Paralympic wheelchair basketball player from Huntsville, Alabama. He is a 2002 gold medalist at the IWBF World Championship and got a bronze medal in 2010 at the same place. A year later, he was awarded a gold medal at the 2011 Parapan American Games and on 2012 Summer Paralympics he was awarded with another bronze one. He was also a four-time NWBA Champion from 2008 to 2012. He has been the head coach of the University of Texas at Arlington Lady Movin' Mavs women's wheelchair basketball team since its establishment in 2013.
Paul Schulte is an American Paralympic wheelchair basketball player.
The Philippines men's national wheelchair basketball team is the wheelchair basketball side that represents Philippines in international competitions for men as part of the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation.
Joy Haizelden is a 2.5 point British wheelchair basketball player who was the youngest player to represent Great Britain at the 2014 Women's World Wheelchair Basketball Championship in Toronto.
The United States men's national wheelchair basketball team began in 1955 when the Pam Am Jets brought wheelchair basketball to Europe at the International Stoke Mandville Games, albeit in the form of netball. Shortly following the Pan Am Jets' dominating performance at the International Stoke Mandville Games, wheelchair netball was switched to wheelchair basketball for all future Games.
Ella Sabljak is an Australian 1.0 point wheelchair basketball player. She represented Australia at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo.
Abigail Dunkin is an American 3.5 point wheelchair basketball player who won gold at the 2015 Parapan American Games in Toronto, Canada, the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the 2019 Women's U25 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship in Suphanburi, Thailand.
South Korea competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan, from 24 August to 5 September 2021.
The UT Arlington Mavericks men's wheelchair basketball team, commonly known as the Movin' Mavs and previously known as the UTA Freewheelers, is the men's college wheelchair basketball team representing the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). Established in 1976 as the UTA Freewheelers, the team played at the club level against other colleges and universities in Texas during the 1970s and 1980s. It has played under the auspices of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) since 1988, when the team was renamed the Movin' Mavs. Its inaugural coach, from 1976 until 2008, was Jim Hayes. Since 2008, the team has been coached by Doug Garner.
Matthew Lesperance is an American wheelchair basketball player and a member of the United States men's national wheelchair basketball team. Lesperance has represented the United States at the Paralympic Games twice, finishing in fourth place in 2008, and winning a gold medal in 2020.