Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the United States, and organizations striving to make the game accessible for those with disabilities have been in place since the mid-1900s. The National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) is one of the largest organizations of its kind in the United States and has set official rules that govern its games, which are slightly modified from traditional basketball rules to accommodate the different situations that arise with wheelchairs on the floor.
Wheelchair Regulations
In order to make the playing environment safe, as well as fair, the NWBA has established guidelines for the wheelchairs used in games. To be an approved game wheelchair, the seat height cannot be more than 21 inches off the ground. Mechanized wheelchairs, or those with motors, are not allowed.
Players
In order to play in the NWBA, players must have a documented and demonstrated lower-extremity disability. This could include partial or complete paralysis, the shortening of a limb, or the partial or complete loss of part of a leg. Conditions such as pain or numbness alone in the legs do not qualify someone to play in the NWBA.
Dribble
One of the main differences between traditional basketball and wheelchair basketball is the dribble. Since players obviously cannot walk or run with the ball, they must wheel themselves around the floor with the ball.
In the NWBA, a dribble consists of the player using his or her hands to push the wheel of his or her wheelchair two times, along with one dribble of the ball. As long as two pushes are combined with one dribble, the player is considered to be dribbling legally. Players can wheel their chair as much as they want as long as the dribble meets these rules.
Pivot
Just as in regular basketball, wheelchair players are permitted to "pivot" their wheelchair in place by turning the wheels in opposite directions. No violation will be called so long as the player is pivoting in place and not in a certain direction.
Tilting Chair
It is a violation if a player, in order to retrieve, shoot or maintain the ball, leans forward or to the side so that any part of the wheelchair's footrest or the player's feet touch the floor. If this occurs, the whistle is blown and the ball is awarded to the opposite team.
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