Brian Bell may have one of the most unique stories on the U.S. Men’s National Team. At 10 years old Bell lost his leg in a train accident.  Two years later, Bell watched his first wheelchair basketball game, and his mom learned about the Lakeshore Foundation, a U.S. Paralympic Training Center, in Birmingham, Alabama. He attended a variety of adaptive sport camps at Lakeshore, and this is where his passion for wheelchair basketball started.

As a NWBA Junior, his game blossomed where he attended the University of Illinois to play and study kinesiology. In 2010, Bell struck success by helping the Illini to the NWBA Intercollegiate National Championship. After college, Bell took his game abroad and has helped his team to a couple league titles.

As his international career took off his passion for the game became even more fueled as he had dreams of making a U.S. Paralympic team. In 2014 he helped Team USA to a silver medal at World Championships and earned gold medal in Toronto at the Parapan Am Games.

Bell then accomplished his greatest dream by assuring his spot on the 2016 Paralympic Team and winning gold for Team USA in Rio. He has a lot of love for the game that he claims brought so much to his life. He has no plans of hanging up his wheels anytime soon.

“I was 16 when I won gold at the U23 World Championships in England. That was my first taste of success and I have loved the sport ever since. I just truly love the game,” added Bell.

In Bell’s spare time he can be found in the kitchen where his teammates claim he is the ultimate chef. He and his wife, Diane, have two daughters and a son. He also is very close with his family, especially his mom. He tries to make it back to their home of Alabama as much as possible to go back to where it all started for this gold medalist.