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.
| IWBF zone | Americas | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Paralympic Games | |||
| Appearances | 15 | ||
| Medals |  Gold: 1960 (2), 1964 (2), 1972, 1976, 1988, 2016, 2020, 2024 Silver: 1968 Bronze: 1980, 1996, 2000, 2012 | ||
| World Championships | |||
| Appearances | 13 | ||
| Medals | Gold: 1979, 1983, 1986, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2022 Silver: 1975, 1990, 2006, 2014, 2018 Bronze: 2010 | ||
| |||
History
editIn 1960 the inaugural Rome Paralympic Games included wheelchair basketball as one of its initial events.[1] During this inaugural 1960 Paralympic Games the wheelchair basketball competition was divided into two constructs: Class A for athletes with complete lesions, and Class B for those with incomplete lesions. With the 1960 Paralympic Games, the United States Men's National Wheelchair Basketball Team competed in both classifications, winning two gold medals. The same occurred in the following 1964 Tokyo Paralympic Games, as the United States Men's National Wheelchair Basketball Team claimed both gold medals.[2]
The success of the United States Men's National Wheelchair Basketball Team has continued since those initial Paralympic Games, although the team had not won gold medals since 1988 and finally ended that drought in the most recent tournament in 2016.[3]
The United States Men's Wheelchair Basketball Team also competes internationally in the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation's (IWBF) World Wheelchair Basketball Championships, the Parapan American Games, and the IWBF's U23 World Wheelchair Basketball Championships. The United States Men's National Wheelchair Basketball Team has enjoyed great success in each of these tournaments in addition to the Paralympic Games. They are the only team to have won the IWBF World Wheelchair Basketball Championships in three successive tournaments (accomplishing that feat twice; 1979-1986 & 1994-2002) and medalling in nearly every tournament held of the Parapan American Games, as well as the IWBF’s U23 World Wheelchair Basketball Championships.
Roster
editThe following is the United States roster in the men's wheelchair basketball tournament of the 2024 Summer Paralympics.[4][5]
| United States men's national wheelchair basketball team - 2024 Summer Paralympics roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Paralympic Games
editResults achieved at the Paralympic Games:[6]
IWBF World Championships
edit| Year | Host | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 1975[9] | Bruges (Belgium) | Silver |
| 1979[10] | Tampa (United States) | Gold |
| 1983[11] | Halifax (Canada) | Gold |
| 1986[12] | Melbourne (Australia) | Gold |
| 1990[13] | Bruges (Belgium) | Silver |
| 1994[14] | Edmonton (Canada) | Gold |
| 1998[14] | Sydney (Australia) | Gold |
| 2002[14] | Kitakyushu (Japan) | Gold |
| 2006[14] | Amsterdam (Netherlands) | Silver |
| 2010[14] | Birmingham (United Kingdom) | Bronze |
| 2014[14] | Incheon (South Korea) | Silver |
| 2018[14] | Hamburg (Germany) | Silver |
| 2022[14] | Dubai (United Arab Emirates) | Gold |
Other international tournaments
editParapan American Games
edit| Year | Host | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 |  Mexico, Mexico City[15] |
Gold |
| 2003 |  Argentina, Mar del Plata[15] |
Silver |
| 2007 |  Brazil, Rio de Janeiro[15] |
Gold[16] |
| 2011 | Mexico, Guadalajara[15] |
Gold[16] |
| 2015 |  Canada, Toronto[15] |
Gold[16] |
| 2019 |  Peru, Lima[15] |
Gold[16] |
| Year | Host | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Canada, Toronto |
Gold |
| 2001 | Brazil, Blumenau, Santa Catarina |
Bronze |
| 2005 |  United Kingdom, Birmingham |
Gold |
| 2009 |  France, Paris |
Gold |
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "Our Game". International Wheelchair Basketball Federation. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
- ^ Labanowich, Stan (2011). Wheelchairs Can Jump!: A History of Wheelchair Basketball (PDF). Acanthus Publishing. p. 9.
- ^ National Wheelchair Basketball Association. "U.S. Men's Wheelchair Basketball Team Wins Historic Paralympic Gold Over Spain". United States Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on October 29, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
- ^ "United States men's national wheelchair basketball team". olympics.com. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ "Paralympics Games Roster Selected for 2024 U.S.A Men's Wheelchair Basketball Team". nwba.org. March 30, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
- ^ "IPC Historical Results Archive". Official Website of the Paralympic Movement. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
- ^ "Barcelona 1992 Paralympic Games - Results Wheelchair Basketball - Men's Tournament". paralympic.org. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- ^ "Justice for U.S. in wheelchair ban is looking more appealing". Chicago Tribune. 11 December 1992.
- ^ Labanowich, Stan (2011). Wheelchairs Can Jump!: A History of Wheelchair Basketball (PDF). Acanthus Publishing. p. 8.
- ^ Labanowich, Stan (2011). Wheelchairs Can Jump!: A History of Wheelchair Basketball (PDF). Acanthus Publishing. p. 13.
- ^ Labanowich, Stan (2011). Wheelchairs Can Jump!: A History of Wheelchair Basketball (PDF). Acanthus Publishing. p. 17.
- ^ Labanowich, Stan (2011). Wheelchairs Can Jump!: A History of Wheelchair Basketball (PDF). Acanthus Publishing. p. 23.
- ^ Labanowich, Stan (2011). Wheelchairs Can Jump!: A History of Wheelchair Basketball (PDF). Acanthus Publishing. p. 28.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "World Championships". International Wheelchair Basketball Federation. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f "Parapan Am Games: News & Information". Disabled World. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
- ^ a b c d "NWBA Athlete of the Week - Michael Paye". National Wheelchair Basketball Association. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
- ^ "Men's U23 World Championship". International Wheelchair Basketball Federation. Retrieved November 5, 2016.