Adult wheelchair basketball national championships arrive in Henrico this weekend

The event will include teams competing for national titles in three separate divisions. It's the second straight weekend of national championship competition at the arena, which last weekend hosted the NWBA's Junior Division Championships, whose three divisions were won by The Lakeshore Lakers (Birmingham, Alabama, Junior Varsity), ATX Abilities (Austin, Texas, Junior Prep), and DASA Rams (St Peters, Missouri, Varsity Invitational).

Games this weekend began at 8 a.m. Friday and will continue until 9 p.m., then be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

The Sportable Rim Riders, a local wheelchair basketball team, will face off against the No. 3 seed Chicago Hornets Friday at noon in their first game in the Division II tournament.

“Thousands of wheelchair basketball players, families, and fans filled the Henrico Sports & Events Center last week for the Junior Division Championships and we are thrilled to return this weekend to replicate the electric atmosphere for the Adult Division tournament,” said Hunter Leemon, Sportable's chief executive officer. “With teams traveling across the country, including eight Paralympians and our hometown Sportable Rim Riders, this event promises to be an unparalleled experience. We strongly encourage the RVA community to come out to Henrico Sports & Events Center to see what wheelchair basketball is all about.”

“We’re very excited to welcome the NWBA and its athletes to our new indoor sports and events center,” said Dennis Bickmeier, executive director of the Henrico Sports and Entertainment Authority, which oversees the new arena. “This tournament will be a signature event in the early history of the facility. We look forward to working with our partners to deliver this showcase event to our community and witnessing the athleticism and teamwork that will happen over the two weeks of competition.”