A high school basketball standout, Kiley was paralyzed in an accident at age 19 while riding an inner tube down a Southern California ski slope. He began playing wheelchair basketball in 1973 and has gradually watched the game and its athletes evolve. The technology used by some wheelchair manufacturers has allowed for a quicker, more acrobatic style of play. Lightweight titanium and composite chairs allow teams to play a fast-paced game. N.C. The technology of wheelchairs has basically revolutionized the sport of basketball and it's allowed players now to do phenomenal moves with less effort.
Technology is a very important part of the sport.
From Day One to now, it's basically gone from tanks to Porsches. For instance, the U.S. Paralympic team boasts the sort of faces and stories that Madison Avenue loves. San Francisco native Chuck Gill was recently featured on the pages of People Magazine as one of the 50 sexiest men in America. And Chicago native William Waller, a former gang member, survived a drive-by shooting and earned an academic scholarship to the University of Illinois. Kiley, who appeared in his first Paralympics in 1976, fits in well with the group.