Denver Rolling Nuggets

About Us
Colorado Wheelchair Basketball is made up of disabled and non-disabled residents of the state of Colorado. CWB is composed of the Denver Rolling Nuggets, Lady Rolling Nuggets, Junior Varsity Rolling Nuggets, and the Junior Prep Rolling Nuggets. The sport of wheelchair basketball has been around in the Denver area for many years. The year 2000 was the inception of Colorado Wheelchair Basketball as a non-profit 501 (C) 3 organization. Members are able to organize and participate because of generous donations from community members, as well as donations from businesses and foundations. All staffers of CWB work on an unpaid volunteer basis. The mission of Colorado Wheelchair Basketball is commitment to providing an opportunity for both personal growth and physical fitness for physically challenged individuals through community events, recreational and competitive wheelchair basketball competition, and outreach programs. A list of disabilities that affect the athletes who play wheelchair basketball include, but are not limited to:
• Spinal Cord Injury • Spina Bifida • Multiple Sclerosis • Transverse Myelities • Single or double amputee • Polio • Leg Length Discrepancy (one leg longer than other) • Degenerative Joint Condition (knees, ankles, etc)	• Traumatic Brain Injury • Stroke • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, aka Lou Gehrig’s disease) • Cerebral Palsy • Friedreich’s Ataxia • Syringomyelia • Guillian Barre • Chari Malformation • Muscular Dystrophy

		To be eligible to play in the National Wheelchair Basketball Association, a person must have some physical condition that limits their participation in “able body” basketball, and this condition must be verified by a doctor. Wheelchair basketball is played in special “sport chairs” that are far more mobile and athletic than the regular wheelchairs that people use for everyday activities. Have an interest in playing for one of our local teams? There are 4 options: The Junior Prep Rolling Nuggets Program started up in 2008. We wanted to give young kids the opportunity to get into basketball at an early age. We encourage young people to get involved as early as they can. Currently, the Prep program consists of kids ranging in age from 8 to 13 years old. Thirteen years of age is the cut-off for eligibility to play in the Prep Division. The earlier you get started, the better wheelchair and basketball skills will develop over time!
When kids get too old to play in the Prep Division, we also have a Junior Varsity Rolling Nuggets Program. Kids and young people are eligible to play JV from age 13 up through High School Graduation. This JV Program has been running for several years in the Denver area, and we are always looking for new players to become part of the program. Staff members and coaches stress the importance of good study habits and grades in school to our Junior Players. We try to provide extra help to our young students to promote academic success in the classroom, as well as lessons to promote the development of personal responsibility.

			When the kids grow up, both boys and girls have the option to join one of our adult programs. The Denver Rolling Nuggets are currently a co-ed adult team that plays in the NWBA’s Championship Division. There are many other teams across the country to engage in competition, as we do every year. Most of the participants in the Championship Division are male, but our ladies have shown they are up to the challenge!

For the ladies that don’t want to mix it up with the gents, we have the Denver Lady Rolling Nuggets Program. Ladies who have developed their game can start as early as High School with our women’s program. Or, ladies who decide a little later in life that they want to get involved in a great team experience can join up, make some friends/teammates, and play some ball. The Lady Nuggets Program was started in 2007 by two former University of Illinois players who wanted to take everything they were taught and start a new program to pay back into a system that has given them so much.


Each team within Colorado Wheelchair Basketball Organization is the only team in its respective division in the state of Colorado. This means that in order to play against a team within its division, each of the teams must either travel to a tournament hosted in another city, or host a home tournament in Denver and invite teams from other states. The Junior Prep Rolling Nuggets do not travel as much as the other Denver teams because the players are so young, and travel is costly. All of the Rolling Nuggets teams participate in fundraising to help cover the costs of travel during the year. The Rolling Nuggets Program has access to sport chairs for newcomers to try out, and for many of the Juniors to use throughout the season. Many of these sport chairs have been graciously donated by various charities and foundations. CWB is genuinely grateful because the program is made possible by the giving of these wonderful organizations.