Athlete told he would not walk or talk ‘proved them wrong’ after becoming professional wheelchair basketball player

An athlete who suffers from an “extremely rare” degenerative form of spina bifida defied the odds by becoming a top-tier professional wheelchair basketball player despite his parents being told that he would not be able to “walk or talk”.

Jack Davey suffers from spina bifida lipomyelomeningocele, a severe degenerative condition affecting the spinal cord, which means he is slowly being confined to a wheelchair more and more over time.

But the 28-year-old, who lives in Devon with his fiancee, Hayleigh Ostler, 29, did not let his disability stop him shooting hoops and went on to play professional basketball in Germany and across Europe.

Now back in the UK, he coaches the UK’s oldest wheelchair basketball team, the Exeter Otters, which was founded in 1980, and works as a mobility adviser for RGK Wheelchairs, where he helps design bespoke wheelchairs for fellow athletes and people with physical disabilities.

“At the end of the day, I’m a 5ft 4in guy who can say he’s played professional basketball – it’s not very often that people can say that,” Jack said.

“But I was born with a really rare form of spina bifida which gets worse as I get older.

“Basically my spine can’t support my body and I have no muscle in my left leg.”

When Jack was born, his parents Jackie, 63, and Roy, 62, were told that his chances of standing on his own two feet were slim.

“They were told that I wouldn’t be able to walk or be fully independent,” he said.

“And now I own my own house, have a beautiful fiancee, work a hard job and run a wheelchair basketball club.”

Jack began regularly using a wheelchair from around the age of 13 and is now a 90% user, meaning he can only walk very short distances.

His condition will continue to progress and he will soon be a full-time wheelchair user.

“It’s always good to have a sense of humour about it and I try not to take things too seriously,” he said.

“I used to play a bunch of sports when I was younger, like basketball and football.

“I’ve always known my disability was progressive but the hardest thing was realising that I couldn’t do these things.

“Even if I could walk, I would be in so much pain or be bedbound for a couple of days.”

Jack discovered wheelchair basketball when he first went to have a chair fitted for him at the age of 13 and the shop assistant suggested he join a team.

Fast forward eight years and he was playing for the Trier Dolphins in Germany’s Bundesliga, and, even though he never made it to the Paralympics with Team GB, he has not yet given up hope.

“I went to a local training session in Exeter and that was it, I never looked back,” he said.

“Fourteen years on, I’m still playing basketball and have played at the highest level all over Europe.

“I never made the GB top 12, but I’m still trying.”

Jack moved back to the UK in 2019 and began playing in the Premier League before the global Covid-19 pandemic put an end to the season.

The young athlete was then headhunted by RGK Wheelchairs, a company which specialises in making made-to-measure wheelchairs for sports and everyday use.

“You wouldn’t give someone a size 11 shoe when they’re a size two,” he said.

Jack started using a regular NHS wheelchair but found that it was uncomfortable and meant he could not “keep up with his friends”.

“It wasn’t comfortable and it was bulky and clunky,” he said.

“When you are given a chair that was purposely built for you, it makes you feel different because you can look good and it gives you that independence.”

The wheelchairs Jack helps design are light enough that they can easily be picked up by the person using it, rather than needing to ask someone else for help.

“Heavy chairs put a lot of pressure on your shoulders and, as you can imagine, shoulders are quite important to wheelchair users,” he said.

“It can make a huge difference by giving the person their independence rather than having to rely on others.

“You literally become another person.”

The cost of a bespoke chair ranges from £4,000 to £7,500, but the NHS offers a voucher scheme to help cover the costs.

Jack’s parents have always been very supportive, driving him to basketball games up and down the country.

“My mum would always say to me ‘Prove them wrong’,” he said.

“They never told me that I couldn’t do it and would let me come to that conclusion myself.”

Jack has also become a wheelchair basketball coach for the oldest team in the country, the Exeter Otters, which takes him all over the UK.

“We have been around for almost 50 years,” he said.

“The number of people joining the club has just exploded – it’s really nice to see.”

He is now looking to use his experience to inspire others and promote wheelchair basketball across the South West of the UK.

“I’m now at the point where I can help others access sports and get that social aspect which is one of the most important parts,” he said.

“I went to a mainstream school when I was growing up and was always the different one.

“Then, when I joined the basketball club, everyone was sat in a wheelchair.

“That’s what really enticed me in.”