Having a physical or mental disability can make living and competing in sports painfully challenging or frustrating. Regardless, though, there are many individuals who refuse to let their disability stop them from competing and playing in one of the most loved sports of all time: professional basketball. So, who are the most well-known NBA players with disabilities?
NBA players with disabilities include Lance Allred, Chris Wright, Steve Nash, and Magic Johnson. These players are active, currently playing, or inactive and retired. They all suffer from either a physical or learning disability varying from dyslexia to multiple sclerosis.
This article will discuss the above-mentioned NBA players and their disabilities. Let’s get started!
Active and Inactive NBA Players With Disabilities
This list consists of various NBA players who have played regardless of varying physical, mental, and intellectual disabilities, and includes both active and inactive players:
1. Lance Allred
Lance Allred is a retired NBA player who struggled with both a physical disability and a mental health disorder. At 80% hearing, Allred was almost entirely deaf, having experienced a complication during his birth. Additionally, Allred struggled with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, which originated when he was a child.
2. Chris Wright
Chris Wright is a professional basketball player who currently plays for the Lega Basket Serie A. He has been playing professional basketball for many years, and early in his career, he overcame a bout of multiple sclerosis that left him completely paralyzed.
Through rigorous training and with the advice of medical experts, Wright learned to walk and play again- and continues to do so today! Wright is a fantastic example of someone who has overcome adversity and extreme physical challenges to continue playing the sport that he loved.
3. Steve Nash
Steve Nash is a Canadian-born professional basketball coach who used to play for the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, and the Los Angeles Lakers in his day. He retired because he developed a physical disability called spondylolisthesis, which is a flaring disability that causes severe back pain.
4. Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson is a former NBA basketball player that rose to fame during his career from 1979 to 1996. He was considered one of the greatest point guards. Magic Johnson struggled openly with an HIV-positive diagnosis which he contracted during his years playing basketball. HIV is a severe and uncurable health disease that forced the player to retire.
Magic Johnson dedicated his life to raising awareness and de-stigmatizing HIV.
5. Hansel Emmanuel
Another player who struggles with a severe physical condition is Hansel Emmanuel. Although Hansel doesn’t play for the NBA, he does play for the Northwestern State Demons in the Dominican Republic. He has been playing since he was recruited in 2021, so he has only played for a few short years.
This is especially impressive because Hansel Emmanuel doesn’t have a left arm due to a childhood accident. It was trapped beneath a pile of cinder blocks for an extended period, eventually having to be amputated at the shoulder.