Basketball

It’s a crisp sunny day in late spring at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The 2024 NIRSA National Basketball Championships are taking place and two teams from Michigan are in town looking to bring home the championship.

The Special Olympics Poland athlete finds confidence, equality, and purpose through sports.

In this episode, we honor Autism Acceptance Month with our notable guest Tony Snell. Tony is a professional basketball player in the NBA who was diagnosed with autism in 2023, after his son was diagnosed at 18 months.

The North Macedonian player was the life and soul of his team at the 2023 Regional West Balkans Basketball 3x3 Tournament in Tirana, Albania - and he still has energy for much more.

The Special Olympics Kosovo athlete cruises through sports tournaments, solves crossword puzzles in a foreign language and aspires to work abroad.

The Bosnia and Herzegovina athlete is a Special Olympics World Games champion in futsal and a regional champion in basketball. And that is only the beginning.

Unified partners recount how they started playing with their teams and the friendships they formed along the way.

“We’re dreaming big and trying to act big”

Albania’s multi-talent does not need to choose between scoring three-pointers and playing Vivaldi. She embraces and excels in both equally.

Athletes, Unified partners, coaches and families from four countries came together at the flagship regional tournament in Tirana, Albania to spread the message that “everybody is important.”