Of all sports, wheelchair basketball is perhaps the most truly inclusive. If a high school edge rusher racks up 20 sacks in 10 games but is a prisoner to a 5 feet, 10 inches, 160 pound frame, then there is no chance that they will be recruited for the highest level of college football. In wheelchair basketball, however, there is a place for everyone on the court.
The main difference between wheelchair basketball and standing basketball is the creation of the classification system. Not all motor disabilities are equal: Some may only be the loss of a foot, while another may have no control of their body below their armpits, so athletes aren’t forced to compete on the exact same footing. Instead, with the classification system, there is a necessity and a benefit to including people with different levels of disability. Each player is characterized by a point value between 1–4.5, depending on their functional ability, with lower numbers indicating more severe impairments. Each team can only have 15 total points on the court at any point in time; therefore, teams need players with classifications from 1–2.
The classification allows players with less mobility to compete alongside their peers. These players aren’t able to perform at the level of players classified as a 4 or 4.5, but this doesn’t keep them from contributing to their team. For example, if a player with a lower classification can play great defense and rebound effectively, they won’t need to be as good of a shooter as a player with a higher classification might have to be considered for the team. It also puts more pressure on higher-point players to become a playmaker or to do it all, as they have more mobility and take up a greater share of the team’s 15 points. Classifying players by these metrics allows lower-level players to specialize and gives them a chance to become valuable members of their team.
Although the differences between standing basketball and wheelchair basketball seem to be massive, there really aren’t many big differences. Shooting, dribbling and passing are largely the same, and offensive three-second and shooting fouls still apply. The similarity to stand-up basketball keeps a pretty low barrier to entry on the sport, as anyone who has watched basketball can quickly learn the rules.
