Olympic athlete Brian Bell, 35, is qualified to compete in the 2024 Summer Paralympic Paris. He’ll be competing for the United States in the upcoming Olympics. He has previously competed for the United States in this competition, taking home two gold medals in 2016 and 2020. Bell, who was paralyzed in an accident that happened from the waist down, is extremely passionate about Wheel Chair Basketball.
Team USA qualify for the Paris Paralympics
The United States played Colombia in the final game of the 2023 Parapan Am Games in Santiago. The USA won easily, with a final score of 81-45. This victory did two things for the US team: 1) It gave them another gold medal to add to their impressive collection of titles, and 2) It earned them a spot to compete in the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.
The USA played like true world champions, making 71% of their shots during the game. They were unstoppable and increased their lead over Colombia to 34 points by the third quarter. Brian Bell and Jake Williams were the top scorers, with Bell scoring 23 points and Williams scoring 24 points.
” Its really Great , Getting to represent my country again and again in this elite competition .”
said Bell
Bell always loved sports and his mother supported him
Brian Bell was born on February 24, 1989, in Birmingham, Alabama in the United States. His mother is Louvenia Bell and he has one sibling named Andreus Gulley.
As a child, Brian enjoyed playing sports. When he was 10 years old, he became an amputee below the knee due to a train accident. But this did not stop him from continuing to play Sports.
His mother Louvenia supported whatever Brian wanted to do to improve himself. After two months of rehab, Louvenia, a single mother, taught Brian at home. Brian’s friends visited him in the hospital and encouraged him during his recovery.
At first, Brian played middle school football using a prosthetic leg. But after rehab and finding the prosthetic too difficult, he realized his true love was wheelchair basketball.
Soon after, Brian started training at a Paralympic facility nearby. He played wheelchair basketball and other adaptive sports competitively.
Working with the Lakeshore Foundation, a US Olympic and Paralympic training center, opened the door for Brian’s path in wheelchair basketball.
In 2019, Brian completed his university degree in Kinesiology from DeVry University.
Brian Bell is happily Married
Brian Bell is happily married. His wife’s name is Diane Bell.
The couple has three young daughters named Kaylan, Lia, Myles, and Neo.
In addition to being an accomplished athlete, Brian is also a father. He enjoys simple pleasures like playing video games and spending quality time with his family. Brian has expressed gratitude for having the opportunity to be with his loved ones.
How Brian Bell always loved his passion
Brian’s mom found the Lakeshore Foundation, a training place for Olympic and Paralympic athletes in Birmingham, Alabama. There, Brian grew to love wheelchair basketball.
As a young player in the National Wheelchair Basketball Association, Brian’s skills improved. He went to the University of Illinois to play and study kinesiology. In 2010, Brian helped his university team win the national championship.
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After college, Brian played wheelchair basketball in other countries. His teams won a few league titles abroad. In 2010, Brian won gold at the national championship for university players.
As Brian started playing internationally, his love for the game grew even stronger. He dreamed of making the United States Paralympic team.
Brian Bell Professional Career
Brian was an excellent college player. Professional coaches noticed his skills. He was heavily recruited to play wheelchair basketball in Europe but chose to reunite with friends from college instead.
In 2013, he won gold at the American Championships.
In 2014, at the World Wheelchair Basketball Championships, he did not win first place and got the silver medal.
The 2013-14 season, he was the champion of the Italian League. In 2015, at the Parapan Am Games, Brian’s team won the tournament and he received a gold medal.
Brian has represented the United States at the Summer Paralympic Games two times, winning gold medals in 2016 and 2020. In 2016 in Rio, he played with Steve Serio and Matt Scott on the US team that won gold.
The US team that won gold in Rio 2016 included Brian Bell, Jared Arambula, Aaron Gouge, Ian Lynch, Mike Paye, Matt Scott, Steve Serio and Jake Williams.
At the Wheelchair Basketball World Championships, Brian won silver medals in 2014 and 2018, and a gold medal in 2022.
Brian was on the last two US Men’s Paralympic teams that won gold in 2020 and 2016. Along with his Paralympic medals, he has three Parapan Am gold medals from 2015, 2019, and 2023. He also has three medals from the World Championships – gold in 2022, silver in 2018 and 2014. In 2023, his team the Golden State Road Warriors won the national championship.
After winning gold at the 2023 Parapan American Games, where he led the team in rebounds with 11.8 per game, Brian joined Steve Serio and others on the final US National Team roster.
