IWBF zone Americas Appearances 11 | Appearances 15 Home Away | |
Medals Gold: 1960(2), 1964(2), 1972, 1976, 1988, 2016
Silver: 1968
Bronze: 1980, 1996, 2000, 2012 Medals Gold: 1979, 1983, 1986, 1994, 1998, 2002
Silver: 1975, 1990, 2006, 2014
Bronze: 2010 | ||
The United States men's national wheelchair basketball team's origins 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. In 1960 the inaugural Rome Paralympic Games included wheelchair basketball as one of its initial events. 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 resulting in two gold medals. The same end result occurred in the following 1964 Tokyo Paralympic Games as the United Stated Men’s National Wheelchair Basketball Team claimed both gold medals.
The success of the United States Men’s National Wheelchair Basketball Team has continued since those initial Paralympic Games as they have accomplished the feat of being the only team which has won more than 3 gold medals in the event. Overall, they have won a total of eight gold medals with the most recent occurring in 2016.
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 in the IWBF’s U23 World Wheelchair Basketball Championships. The United States Men’s National Wheelchair Basketball Team has enjoyed great success in each of the above mentioned tournaments in addition to the Paralympic Games as 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 medaling in yearly every tournament held of the Parapan American Games, as well as, with the IWBF’s U23 World Wheelchair Basketball Championships.