Patrick Anderson

Patrick Anderson, often referred to as the “Michael Jordan of wheelchair basketball,” was born in Edmonton, Alberta, and raised in Fergus, Ontario. Like many Canadian kids, he loved playing ice hockey and other sports. But in 1989, at the age of 9, his life took a dramatic turn when he was struck by a drunk driver, resulting in the loss of both his legs below the knee. It was in 1990, just a year later, that he discovered wheelchair basketball.

Anderson’s rise in wheelchair basketball was meteoric. By 1997, he had earned a spot on the Canadian Junior Men’s National Team, leading them to back-to-back World Championship titles in 1997 and 2001, where he was named MVP both times. He also helped Canada win bronze at the 1998 World Championships, before realizing his Paralympic dream with gold medals in 2000 and 2004. After a silver medal at Beijing 2008, Patrick took a brief break to explore music with his wife, Anna, and their band, The Lay Awakes. Refreshed, he returned to the game in 2011 and led Canada to another gold medal at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer.

After sitting out Rio 2016 to focus on family and music, Anderson came back in 2017 to help Team Canada secure second place at the America’s Cup, earning MVP honors. Heading into Tokyo 2021, he played a key role in mentoring a young team, leading them to a strong performance with a focus on leadership and scoring. His performance in the 2024 Paris Paralympics were his sixth and final games. Patrick finished his career considered as the best wheelchair basketball player in the world and one of the greatest to have ever played the game.