The men’s and women’s wheelchair basketball tournaments will be held from Thursday, Aug. 29 to Sunday, Sept. 8 during the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.

Wheelchair basketball originated as a rehabilitation activity for World War II veterans. Today, athletes in over 100 countries participate in the sport. The men’s and women’s tournaments at the Paralympic Games will include eight teams each.

Rules for wheelchair basketball do have some similarities to standing basketball. The court is the same size and the hoops are placed 10 feet above the court. 

Dribbling is required in wheelchair basketball but the rules have been adjusted for the game. A player must dribble the ball once, or make a pass, for every two pushes of the wheels on their chair.  

Athletes on each team are assigned a point value based on their impairment, ranging from 1 to 4.5. The lower the number, the more severe the impairment. Teams must not go over a point total of 14 when choosing the five players they have on the court at any one time.

The Madison Square Garden of Paris, Bercy Arena, will host wheelchair basketball games during the 2024 Paris Paralympics.

Paris 2024

• Women’s 8-team tournament
• Men’s 8 team tournament

The U.S. men will be attempting to defend the gold medal they won three years ago, and this roster includes many of the same players who were on that squad at the Tokyo Paralympics. One of the leaders will surely be Steve Serio, who is playing in his fifth and final Paralympics. Other key players with Paralympic experience include Jake Williams, who was the leading scorer at the 2023 Parapan American Games, and Brian Bell, who led the team in rebounding at that same tournament. Paul Schulte, 45, will play at his fourth Paralympics — and first since 2012 — after coming out of retirement last year.

The U.S. women's team — looking to return to the top of the Paralympic podium for the first time since 2016 — is also loaded with experience. Co-captain Natalie Schneider, the most decorated member of the team, will play at her fifth Paralympic Games, while fellow veterans Lindsey Zurbrugg, Rose Hollermann, Courtney Ryan and Rebecca Murray all played key roles in securing a gold medal for Team USA at last year's Parapan American Games. Ixhelt Gonzalez, 20, is the youngest member of the squad.