The relationship between Naismith and the NWBA was first conceived in 1978 with a series of letters between then NWBA Commissioner Stan Labanowich and Mr. Lee Williams, Executive Director of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, which was located in Springfield Ma. Assisting the NWBA was Mr. Julian U. Stein, Executive Director of the Physical Education and Recreation for the Handicapped in Washington D.C.

The NWBA Hall of Fame was established in 1973 at the 25th Anniversary of the NWBA. Although members were inducted every year at the NWBT Awards Banquet, the "Hall" had no permanent residence to display our awards, memorabilia or our Inducted Members. After a year of negotiations, the new Executive Director of the Basketball Hall of Fame, Joseph M. O'Brien notified the NWBA that the Naismith Facility would indeed accept the NWBA for membership. This approval and responsibility was coordinated through Stan Labanowich and NWBA HOF Chairman, Saul Welger.

The display would feature a plaque with the names of all Inducted NWBA HOF Members as well as a viewing area that contained team pictures, the History of the game and the NWBA as well as several donated medals from Paralympic Competitions. The NWBA was responsible for the cost of the plaque and thanks to the generosity of Quickie Design Wheelchairs and Wayne Kunishige we were on the way to having a real home for our Hall of Fame.

Thanks to the efforts of Saul Welger and other NWBA Officials, our display was formally dedicated on October 19, 1990. Members traveled from all over the county to attend this gala event, which in addition to the dedication included a weekend at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and a formal dinner at a neighboring hotel.

In 1995, The Naismith Foundation decided to build a newer, state of the art facility to house the Hall of Fame and the NWBA was part of that move. Our display, as well as other memorabilia, are on exhibit in several area's of the New Hall of Fame.

On the weekend of October 18 & 19 2003, The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame honored our members by hosting an "NWBA Weekend" at the facility. Several Hall of Fame Members as well as family and friends visited our display and were treated to a banquet on the "Center Court" of the new museum and Hall of Fame. Two fine team's from the NWBA Intercollegiate Conference, the University of Texas-Arlington Moving Mav's and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater also traveled to Springfield to compete in a wheelchair basketball exhibition and help make make the weekend a success.