How do wheelchair basketball rules differ from running basketball?

The IWBF Official Wheelchair Basketball Rules 2024 follow the structure of the FIBA rules: 5 players a side on a 28 x 15 m court, 4 quarters of 10 minutes, a 24-second shot clock and the same scoring. The main differences:

• The wheelchair is part of the player. Contact with an opponent's wheelchair counts as contact with the player.
• Location is decided by where your wheelchair touches the floor. You are out-of-bounds if any part of your body or wheelchair touches the floor on or outside the line.
• Travelling is a third push while holding the ball. You may take up to 2 pushes, then dribble, pass or shoot.
• Dribbling can be combined with pushing. You may carry the ball on your lap (not between your knees) for up to 2 pushes, then bounce it, and repeat.
• 3 seconds: to be clear of the restricted area, all wheels of your chair, and any anti-tip castor that stays on the floor, must be outside it.
• Lifting your buttocks off the seat to gain an advantage is a technical foul. Tilting on one rear wheel and one castor is legal.
• Feet and legs: taking your feet off the footrests, or using your legs to steer or gain an advantage, is a technical foul.
• Tap-off: jumpers sit with their wheelchairs in their half of the centre circle, one wheel near the centre line.
• Classification: every player has a classification from 1.0 to 4.5, and the five on court must not total more than 14.0 points in IWBF official competitions.
• Foul types: the IWBF 2024 rules keep the unsportsmanlike foul. FIBA's 2026 disruptive and flagrant fouls don't apply.