Joe Chambers joined the U.S. Paralympics Men's Wheelchair Basketball National Team in 2006 and was the starting center for the U.S. team that won silver at world championships that year. The following year he was a member of the gold medal-winning U.S. team at the Parapan American Games and in 2008 he'll make his Paralympic Games debut in Beijing.
Chambers was a senior in high school when he learned that he had cancer in his left knee. He had the leg amputated after chemotherapy and several surgeries were unable to remedy the problem. An avid basketball player before the amputation, Chambers turned to the wheelchair game which had been introduced to him by his friend, Scott Harrington.
In 2006, Chambers enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (UWW) and joined Harrington on the UWW Warhawks Wheelchair Basketball Team. In his first season, Chambers was a first team All-American and helped the Warhawks to a national championship, scoring 23 points in the title game.
Chambers is a sophomore at UWW with majors in sociology and criminal justice.
His future plans include continuing to play wheelchair basketball, as well as coaching able-bodied basketball at his high school. He would like to eventually become a parole officer for troubled children. He enjoys playing the guitar, spending time with his girlfriend and with his dog, Apollo.
Major Achievements:
• 2008: First place - North American Cup, Birmingham, Alabama
• 2007: Gold medal - Parapan American Games, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• 2007: National champion, first team All-American - Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks
• 2006: Silver medal - IWBF Gold Cup (World Championships), Amsterdam, The Netherlands
