National-champion wheelchair basketball showcased in Wichita area

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - The Junior National Championship series of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association, or NWBA, kicked off Friday at Wichita Hoops in Bel Aire with teams from across the nation competing.

For athletes and coaches, the chance to compete at a high level drives them to power through adversity.

“I’m really blessed to be in this position right now and I’m just living the dream,” said hall-of-fame-inducted, gold-medal-winning former wheelchair basketball player and NWBA Coach Lee Montgomery.

To put it simply, the NWBA provides athletes with disabilities opportunities to showcase their talent in a sport they love. That’s something competitors in Wichita say, they don’t take for granted.

“I feels really good because you know, from playing I get to meet so many new kids and I get to see so many new friends, and then it’s just like, I got to look forward to going to tournaments and everything,” said junior wheelchair basketball player, Emma, in Wichita competing with the New York Rolling Fury.

The NWBA is the longest-standing and largest disabled sports organization in the world. It continues to change lives for many of its players, like it did for Montgomery, a NWBA hall-of-famer.

“I would just like to say thanks to the NWBA for not only giving me a life in sports, but also allowing these kids to have a dream,” Montgomery said. “Players like myself [are there] supporting them. It’s just a huge thing, and so, I’m really happy to be apart of that.”

You can find further information on the NWBA events at Wichita Hoops and how to attend here: https://www.visitwichita.com/event/2023-national-wheelchair-basketball-association-junior-national-championship-series/37992/.

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