2017 National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament

wheel chair basketball for disabled persons (men)Every year when March rolls around, basketball takes the center stage. The NBA playoffs are right around the corner, and the NCAA tournament is in full swing. Later this month the best wheelchair basketball teams from all over America will meet in Louisville for their own tournament.

The 2017 National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament presented by ABC Medical will be held at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky, March 30-April 2. In total, there will be 96 teams from six different adult and junior divisions competing.

The favorites to win the Adult Division 1 bracket this year are the “New York Rollin’ Knicks” who will face stiff competition from last year’s champion “Dallas Wheelchair Mavericks” who are seeded 2nd. Several other NBA affiliated teams will also be in competition including the Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

 History of the NWBA

After returning home from WWII, several paralyzed veterans started playing basketball from their wheelchairs in 1946. That same year, the first competitive game was played between these veterans and their doctors at the Birmingham VA hospital. By 1948, six teams representing their VA centers had formed across the county. Seeing a drastic rise in interest, Dr. Timothy Nugent of the University of Illinois formed the NWBA.

Today the NWBA has grown to include 200 teams across the country. It has also given support to hundreds of teams located across the world. To learn more about their upcoming tournament you can visit www.nwba.org.