At the end of World War II, many of the veterans who had sustained permanent injuries were patients in Veterans Administration Hospitals around the country looking for an outlet for their new lives in wheelchairs and using various orthopedic appliances. Several recreational games were developed in these hospitals. These games included catch, bowling and swimming to name a few. The one game that caught on with the most enthusiasm was basketball. Teams of players could play this game and it helped the veterans help themselves through teamwork. Thus the beginnings of wheelchair basketball.

Upon their release from these facilities, the young men who invented the game wanted to play it on a more competitive basis. Many of them returned to their respective homes with a need to go on with their lives and yet have something to work for. Many were taking advantage of the "G.I. Bill of Rights" and wanted to continue their education while getting back into the mainstream of life. This was no easy task as our country was not yet ready to deal with the casualties of war. As these disabled veterans were repatriated into the community, it was natural for them to seek opportunities through sports as it provided the release needed to cope with their new lives. The integration of disabled veterans with disabled non-veterans proved to be a positive outlook for the future. One of the first non-VA "home teams" was the Kansas City Bulldozers, formed in 1948. Other teams were forming throughout the country with names like the Minnesota Rolling Gophers, Evansville Rolling Rockets, New Jersey Wheelers and Brooklyn Whirlaways.

At the University of Illinois, Timothy J. Nugent, then a 24-year-old doctoral student in Educational Psychology (also a physical educator and former coach), was appointed to organize a rehabilitation-education program for disabled students. With a sizeable number of students in wheelchairs (some of whom were disabled veterans), he introduced them to various physical activities. One of these activities was wheelchair basketball. Recognizing the value the sport had in their rehabilitation, he arranged for outside competition for his newly formed team, the Illinois Gizz Kids. He invited several "home town teams" from the Midwest to the U of I campus in Galesburg, IL in 1949. Six teams accepted and competed in what was deemed the 1st National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament with the Kansas City Rolling Pioneers emerging as the first Champions. As Tournament Director, Nugent produced a post-tournament report that included a financial statement, All Tournament Team, game and individual statistics and a document with his thoughts for the future. He said: "This was a small beginning of as great thing to be, not only much wanted, but much needed ... In the future to be a function of a National Wheelchair Basketball Association."

At the conclusion of the 1st National Tournament, the teams that had participated in this event agreed that a formal organization should be established to advance the sport. Nugent added more thoughts to this in the following statement: "The heart and skill shown by participants in wheelchair basketball will soon remove the apathy which has surrounded the so-called physically handicapped and force people to see the whole scope of life, what can and needs to be done. It is my hope that wheelchair basketball will remain a game of the boys who need it and want it."

One year later in 1950, the National Tournament found a home in Hannibal, MO with five teams competed for the national title. Nugent wisely convened a general meeting of the competing team during the tournament after sensing the player's enthusiasm for continuing the event on an annual basis. He guided them into organizing an Executive Committee of four persons elected by the member teams to oversee the administration of the sport. Tim was appointed as Technical Advisor to the newly formed committee. Since he was neither a player nor disabled, he would participate with no voting privileges. His role would be to organize and administer the affairs of the association. With a charter in hand, Tim reflected his thoughts at the 2nd National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament: "What a person can achieve, can only be measured by how far you challenge him or her. A disability is not necessarily a disaster but a challenge of life. An individual who overcomes his or her disability grows as a person. Persons with disabilities have the right to develop their own identity by trials and error. The non-disabled can assist but only to provide a stage for this important experience."

The headquarters of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association was based in the offices of the Rehab-Education Program at the main campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The following year eight teams, from as far as Boston and New York, participated in the 3rd NWBT hosted by the U of I. Here the first set of formal rules was established. All standards were set just as the NCAA had done when first organizing collegiate sports for the able-bodied.

These early beginnings signified the growing appeal of the sports on people with disabilities. In 1952, there were 15 member teams. In the next decade, teams and conferences were forming all over the country. By 1962, the number of member teams had tripled. A major stimulus of the growth was a program introduced by Tim Nugent with the assistance of the US Armed Forces. A military airlift was introduced to provide transportation for needy member teams that had no formal sponsorship or other revenues to get them to the annual national delegates meeting and championship games. Again Tim's diligence in working with the military not only provided the airlift but also provided a home for the annual event at various military bases around the country. Several NWBT's were held at Chanute Air Force Base (Rantoul, IL) in addition to events at the Glenview Naval Station and El Toro Marine Base (Santa Ana, CA). Through Tim's efforts, the airlifting of teams, team reps, and NWBA officers to the tournament site had the effect of guaranteeing a representative forum on an annual basis to affirm the decision making process by participants in the sport.

From its modest beginnings, the NWBA has set the standard for all organizations for the disabled. Tim Nugent, although not the inventor of the game, has taken it to a new direction. He introduced legislation that would regulate the types of disabilities that could play against one another. This prevented the possibility of stacking five less disabled players against a team of five more disabled players. He negotiated and formulated plans with other sports leaders around the world to bring wheelchair sports to the international level of play. This came about in 1960 when wheelchair basketball was played at the 1st Paralympic Games in Rome, Italy.The Constitution of the NWBA follows Nugent�s basic democratic concept. It allows a maximum of player involvement and contribution. It is run by the membership for the membership. He regarded persons with disabilities as the real experts in rehabilitation; individuals, who live, think, suffer, enjoy and experience limitations 24 hours a day. What a unique and clear concept, one that nobody understood in the world of medical rehabilitation at that time. He demonstrated the value of his philosophy in the program he established at the University of Illinois. Wheelchair Basketball served as his most effective and convincing model.

In 1973, the 25th Anniversary of the NWBA, Tim stepped down as it's Technical Director and Commissioner leaving behind a legacy to the sport of wheelchair basketball. As years went on, the game increased in its popularity as the number one sport for the disabled. Also in 1973, delegates to the 25th NWBT voted to establish a Hall of Fame to honor and recognize the achievements of those who have played or contributed to the sport of wheelchair basketball. Tim Nugent was elected a charter member of the Hall of Fame. In 1990, the James Naismith Museum and Basketball Hall of Fame (Springfield, MA) admitted the NWBA as members. This was the first major sport�s Hall of Fame that recognized the accomplishments of disabled athletes in their respective sports.

The year 1995 marked the 50th anniversary of the development of wheelchair basketball. Since it's invention in 1945 in the US Veterans Administration Hospitals, the sport has spread throughout the world. Today it is said to involve an estimated 20,000 individuals with disabilities in more than 75 countries. The National Wheelchair Basketball Association is the oldest and largest single sport organization for the disabled around the world. It has long been regarded as the model for self governing within the wheelchair sports world.

The influence of the NWBA's founder Timothy J. Nugent was paramount. His diligence in forging "solutions to the problems" is widely recognized.