Adventist Knights: A Wheelchair Basketball Team  

Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital of Maryland , in collaboration with the Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Network, sponsors the Adventist Knights, a national wheelchair basketball team. The team represents the spirit of Adventist Rehab ~ a spirit of enthusiasm, team work, genuine hope, compassion and thankfulness. The Adventist Knights are part of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA), which was formed in 1946 as a result of wheelchair basketball’s popularity among war veterans. Today the NWBA has over 200 teams that comprise six separate divisions: Men’s Divisions I, II and III, Women’s, Collegiate and Juniors. Game rules, play and playoff formats are very similar to those of NCAA basketball. The Adventist Knights began as a Division III team, but rapidly advanced to Division II.

Locally, the season typically kicks-off in October with an Adventist Rehab tournament for both Division II and Division III teams. This tournament, which involves about 12 teams from the East Coast, is highly competitive yet also focuses on both individual and team development. The Knights not only participate in tournaments throughout the region, they also promote disability awareness by sharing their dynamic personal stories through speaking engagements within the Washington Metropolitan area.