01 Jul First-Ever Indigenous Round Honours Wheelchair Basketball Legend Kevin Coombs
Wheelchair Basketball Australia (WBA) will celebrate a major milestone next week with its first-ever Kevin Coombs Indigenous Round, taking place 4–6 July across the National Wheelchair Basketball League and Women’s National Wheelchair Basketball League.
The round recognises the contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players past and present, and celebrates culture, connection and community through the power of sport.
“Uncle Kevin blazed a trail for so many of us,” said CJ McCarthy-Grogan, Darwin Salties player and chair of WBA’s Indigenous Working Group. “This round is about more than just basketball — it’s about identity, leadership, and showing young people that there is a place for them here.”
Named in honour of Uncle Kevin Coombs OAM — the first Indigenous athlete to represent Australia at a Paralympic games — the round pays tribute to a sporting pioneer whose influence shaped both the game and the broader community.
Uncle Kevin used a wheelchair from the age of 12 and went on to become one of the nation’s most distinguished wheelchair basketball players. He represented Australia at five Paralympic Games between 1960 and 1984, captaining the national team in 1972 and 1984, and leading the entire Australian Paralympic Team in 1980. He also won silver at the 1974 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games and gold at the FESPIC Games in 1977 and 1983.
Beyond his athletic achievements, Uncle Kevin was a tireless advocate for the recognition of athletes with disability as elite competitors and played a pivotal role in shifting public perceptions of disability and inclusion. His contribution was recognised with the Medal of the Order of Australia (1983), the Australian Sports Medal (2000), and induction into both the Basketball Australia Hall of Fame (2007) and the Australian Paralympic Hall of Fame (2016).
Uncle Kevin carried the Paralympic torch into the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games, has an avenue named after him at Sydney Olympic Park, and in 2016, Paralympics Australia created the Uncle Kevin Coombs Medal for the Spirit of the Games in his honour. He passed away in 2023.
With permission from his family, the round now carries his name as a lasting tribute to his leadership and legacy.
The Kevin Coombs Indigenous Round is the result of months of collaboration through WBA’s Indigenous Working Group, which includes representatives from each team. Chaired by McCarthy-Grogan, the group has shaped a meaningful program that celebrates cultural identity alongside elite sport.
Each team will wear a specially designed warm-up shirt by Darwin-based Indigenous artist Willie Hewitt, whose artwork tells a story of strength, vision and passing knowledge to the next generation. The design, titled The Next Generation, will feature in ceremonies across the weekend and be highlighted in WBA’s social media, live streams and broadcast commentary.
“This round is a celebration of leadership, inclusion and legacy,” said Lorraine Landon, Director of Wheelchair Basketball Australia. “It’s about honouring those who paved the way and continuing to build a sport where everyone belongs.”
About the Artwork: The Next Generation
The three lower yellow ochre circles from bottom upwards are our youth in steps on a journey to adulthood leading up to the centred large orange ochre circle which represents strength, vision and on the outside of that is our elders watching their next generation and future pro athletes by creating a legacy DNA footprint of champions. The four smaller orange/yellow with black dot circles are the surrounding townships and sports clubs. The larger white/brown lined figurines are the landscape of our country, and the white longlines with dots is the roads steppingstones of life. Lastly the background underlying red/orange/yellow/white sprinkle dots are Dreaming stories mapping stars constellation on our mother earth— Willie Hewitt, Artist.