Basketball
A shot at change: Wings for Life World Run x Fly Without Limits
Lethal Shooter spends time with three professional wheelchair basketball players to improve their form ahead of DK3, an upcoming 3 vs. 3 wheelchair basketball tournament in Venice Beach.
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First, you hear a clamoring, a rattling of metal parts being thrust into motion. Then, an abrupt screech, rubber skidding against hardwood, immediately followed by a swish then a bounce.
Those are the sounds of shooting in wheelchair basketball. It’s intense and delicate. It’s disciplined and aggressive.
“Tricks are cool but making the basket is most important.
Finish. Finish. Finish. Now that’s concentration.
Catch me off guard."
Lethal Shooter with Brian Bell, Matt Scott and Jake Williams
© Jody Hou
These were the directives Chris Matthews, AKA Lethal Shooter, shouted at three Gold Medalist professional wheelchair basketball players, Matt Scott, Brian Bell, and Jake Williams.
Scott was diagnosed with spina bifida at birth. He’s a three-time Paralympic Medalist: two gold and one bronze. Bell lost his leg at the age of 10 due to a train accident. He’s a two-time Paralympic Medalist: two gold. He will be participating on the world stage this year. Williams suffered a spinal cord injury and was paralyzed at the age of 16 when a car hit him while he was riding his bike. He’s a two-time Paralympic Medalist: two gold. And will also be participating on the world stage this year.
As the guys moved through shooting drills, Williams was deemed the “Klay Thompson” of the crew—he was knocking down shots no matter his position on the floor or how suffocating the defense.
“Stay smooth,” he said as the explanation for his accuracy, “That’s something all basketball players do. And stay focused on your breathing.”
Matthews had the guys drive to the rim at full speed over and over. He antagonized them, berated them, doing anything he could to throw them off their game. In between drills, he would ask them questions and offer feedback. As the session continued the distractions stopped phasing the players; their percentage from the field improved.
Lethal Shooter with Brian Bell, Matt Scott and Jake Williams
© Jody Hou
“Some of the best athletes in the world telling me that they really learned something,” Matthews commented after their session, “them telling me that they got better, that’s a dream come true, that’s why I do it as a trainer.”
Matthews is known around the professional basketball world as Lethal Shooter. He has widely studied the art of shooting and spent the morning with Scott, Bell, and Williams to improve their form ahead of an upcoming 3 vs. 3 wheelchair basketball tournament in Venice Beach. The tournament is called DK3 and will happen on May 11-12th at the iconic Venice Beach basketball courts in Venice, California.
Through his foundation Fly Without Limits, aimed at providing people with disabilities the resources and support to pursue their dreams, this is Scott’s first year hosting the tournament. The tournament’s previous host, David Kiley, whom the 20-year tournament is named after, chose Scott as his successor.
Scott’s been playing in the tournament since its inception and has looked up to Kiley his whole life.
Kiley has transformed the sport of wheelchair basketball as a player and coach throughout his 40-year tenure. He is a Paralympic Multi-Gold Medalist, NWBA Hall of Famer, and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame Inductee, Class of 2022.
Brian Bell
© Jody Hou
Last year, when Kiley reached out to Scott, he explained how after 20 years he’s ready to pass the torch and enter into the next part of his life: going fishing and spending time with his grandkids. The five-time Paralympian didn’t take the honor lightly and used the opportunity to give the event more exposure and visibility. It’s always been held at the University of Texas Arlington, but he decided to move it to a more world-renowned venue, the Venice Beach courts, in addition to sourcing sponsorship, implementing custom uniforms, etc. “We need to make this an event because it’s truly something special. There are Paralympians involved, there are wounded veterans that are involved, there are people that need their story amplified so I wanted to put them on one of the best courts in the world,” Scott said.
But before the tournament takes place, in addition to brushing up on their skills with Lethal Shooter, Scott, Bell, and Williams will also be supporting the Wings for Life World Run on May 5th.
It’s the guys’ first time supporting Wings for Life World Run. As the name depicts, the race is a global, simultaneous run, the world’s largest run, where all entry fees and donations go directly towards funding scientific research to find a cure for spinal cord injury.
Like Wings for Life World Run, the DK3 tournament is special. There’s not another tournament that exists like this. Paralympians, junior players, men, and women, are all blended on teams together. When the comment was made about how inspiring it must be for the junior players to play alongside the pro athletes, Bell responded, “It’s inspiring for us to play with them. We want to see the next generation succeed.”
Lethal Shooter and Brian Bell
© Jody Hou
Lethal Shooter and Matt Scott
© Jody Hou
Lethal Shooter and Jake Williams
© Jody Hou
“Society still has a lot of learning to do when it comes to disability and spinal cord injuries in general,” Scott declared as his message to the next generation. “Just by living your life in a positive manner, you are educating, you are inspiring, you are shifting the societal perception. I know that’s a lot of responsibility but if you have a disability you can handle it because you’re already handling so much.”
Scott and Red Bull were connected by the Veniceball community, one of the relationships Scott forged when working to move the DK3 tournament to Southern California. Now, the two organizations can leverage one another’s reach to cultivate greater awareness for causes that have so much in common.
Scott explained how there is a deep synergy between the respective missions of Wings for Life and Fly Without Limits. Both are focused on bettering lives, educating society, and changing the circumstances for those with disabilities and spinal cord injuries.
Jake Williams, Matt Scott and Brian Bell
© Jody Hou
“I honestly think the World Run inspires people, not even just those who would benefit from the spinal cord research,” Scott added. “It inspires people to lean in and help because having a spinal cord injury and paralysis could happen to anyone. Having a disability, it’s a minority that anybody could join. It’s a cohort that anyone could belong to at any moment.”
And Fly Without Limits gives people a community. The members lead with action and by example. They are in the community, they’re not just leading with words. If people need equipment to try a sport, they’re making sure they are a financial resource. If they need any resources, medical, educational, financial, they actively support those who need it.”
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Back in the Red Bull gym, Scott, Bell, Williams, and Lethal (Matthews) were perfecting the art of shooting. Each player had their own style, their own finesse, but their mechanics were all the same. All expert shooters have the same form.
Lethal Shooter and Matt Scott
© Jody Hou
Lethal Shooter with Brian Bell
© Jody Hou
Brian Bell, Jake Williams and Matt Scott at the Red Bull basketball court
© Jody Hou
Lethal Shooter
© Jody Hou
“If I had to train Kentavious Caldwell-Pope or Grayson Allen, and I had to train someone that’s a para-athlete, there’s no difference,” Matthews said. “It’s just trying to stay in rhythm and understanding that if you’re going really fast you have to have a certain kind of touch, if you’re going really slow you have to have a certain kind of touch. That’s why when I was able to watch them shoot, I was able to make adjustments because I was treating them as if I was training Anthony Davis.”
When it comes to the art of shooting, there’s no difference if you’re sitting down or standing up.”
Either way, you must charge through the lane at full speed, with power, and with momentum, and then stop on a dime, breathe, relax your body, and get a smooth shot off.
Jake Williams, Lethal Shooter, Brian Bell and Matt Scott
© Jody Hou
“It was everything that I thought it could be,” Scott said of their training session with Lethal (Matthews). “And that’s a great thing because I’m very familiar with his work and he treated us just like he treats the rest of his athletes which made me feel like there was a big mutual respect there.”
The guys will be supporting Wings for Life World Run and then playing in the DK3 tournament the week following. But every day they set the example of living life in a positive manner, in an inspiring manner.
“Be aware that there are things past losing your legs or being paralyzed,” Bell declared. “You can still be a very productive member of society, you can accomplish a lot of things, you can represent your country on the world stage. There are so many things out there that you can strive towards.”
And more information about the DK3 Wheelchair Basketball tournament can be found here.
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