Video Shout-Out from Adam Deans

Adam Deans had his mind set on becoming a professional athlete from a very young age, however a broken leg in 2005 led to doctors discovering a cancerous tumour in his left femur. Adam was required to undergo chemotherapy and his leg was amputated above the knee less than three months later, leaving his sporting dreams on hold. However, the following year Adam tagged along with close friend and Para-triathlete Brant Garvey to a wheelchair basketball training, reigniting his professional sporting dream!

Debuting for the Perth Wheelcats in 2008, Adam was selected to represent Australia at the IWBF Under-23 World Wheelchair Basketball Championship in Paris less than a year later. This kickstarted an eventful 2009 where Adam completed his first full year in the Australian National Wheelchair Basketball League (NWBL), was named the Wheelchair Sports WA Rookie of the Year and made his debut for the Australian Mens Wheelchair Basketball team (The Rollers) later that year.

After just missing selection for the London 2012 Paralympic Games in London, Adam signed a professional wheelchair basketball contract for Italian club Porto Torres. Despite this being a difficult time in Adam's life living away from his family and friends, he says that this is where he truly learnt how not just to be a professional athlete but an elite athlete.

In 2014 Adam achieved his greatest sporting achievement when he was part of the IWBF World Champion winning Australian Wheelchair Basketball team and was named the 2014 ECU Elite Athlete of the year where he graduated with a Bachelor of Sports Science. Adam also started his own business where he was a motivational speaker and life coach, which includes mental and physical training as well as nutritional advice.

Adam was selected to represent the Rollers at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games where the team suffered a shock quarter final loss and therefore finished outside of the medals. Unfortunately this would be the final major tournament Adam would attend after he suffered a career ending injury whilst playing in the NWBL in 2017. After many hits to the head and concussions throughout his career Adam suffered a brain haemorrhage but was lucky enough to make a full recovery and now works as a Specialist Scheduler at BHP.  

Adam is passionate about helping other people with a disability to find their life purpose and achieve these goals, assist elite teams to find and maintain a positive culture and also would love to raise awareness to support sarcoma research, which is why he took on an ambassadorial role with the WA-based charity foundation Sock it to Sarcoma in 2013.

KEY POINTS:

• Paralympian and World Champion in the sport of Wheelchair Basketball
• Leg amputee and disability advocate
• Cancer and brain surgery survivor
• Resilience and life coach
• Exercise and nutrition coach