On March 2nd, 2026, we said goodbye to a pillar in the wheelchair basketball community, Paul Bowes.
The BC Wheelchair Basketball Society sends its sincere condolences to Paul’s loved ones and the many lives he touched.
We had the opportunity to sit down with one of Paul’s longtime friends and colleagues, Joe Higgins, to reminisce about Paul’s life and impact.
The takeaway was clear: Paul was a powerhouse in the wheelchair basketball community. He inspired his athletes, fellow coaches, and those who had the opportunity to mentor and be mentored by him. However, Paul’s impact extended far beyond the court, the lives of the athletes he touched, and the friendships he built along the way. He was a loving husband, stepfather, brother, uncle, son, and friend who spent much of his time outside of wheelchair basketball on the golf course and helping rescue dogs alongside his wife, Laurie.
Joe shared that he first met Paul in 1990 at the Red Deer Canadian Wheelchair Basketball League Championships, when their teams were competing against one another. He laughed recalling that it was later, at a national team training camp, that Paul shared his annoyance at not being acknowledged by Joe after their first meeting. Fortunately, Joe left that camp, where he was the national head coach, thinking, “This is a very good coach and he will be an excellent addition to the Team Canada coaching team.” Those initial thoughts came to fruition over the following four decades.
When asked what it was about Paul that made him such a respected figure in the wheelchair basketball community, Joe was quick to answer: “He loved to coach. He displayed that with the energy and commitment he made every time he walked into a gym.” Paul was respected as both a peer and a leader, a difficult balance to achieve in a competitive environment.
Joe shared that “One of the reasons why they had such a strong bond as coaches in Canada was because they were able to be intertwined in each other’s coaching journeys, not always in the same role, but always connected. A strength that made Canada a world power in wheelchair basketball because they always had strong coaches willing to work together.”
Paul knew how to bring people together. Joe acknowledged that “Every coach is going to get fired at some point, retire or fired, and if you build a fellowship around the coaching then you can support one another to stay in the sport.” That, Joe noted, was one reason Paul was so highly successful because he brought out the best in coaches. Another was that “Paul would do anything for any coach to find his role. Tactical, technical, mentorship, whatever was needed is what he would do. While coaching in Germany, and around the world, Paul mentored many coaches.”
According to Joe, he was loved by his athletes because he truly believed in their abilities, leading with: “I believe in you, so you should believe in you. You can’t see how you can contribute or what you can do, but I can. We have the experience to give you that vision of what’s possible.” He didn’t oversell their abilities, but instead recognized their unique contributions and brought them out.
Paul’s impact over nearly four decades in wheelchair basketball is far greater than words can capture. He truly lived his own words: “as a coach, never show you’re tired,” remaining committed until his final days of involvement. Paul served as both assistant and head coach with Wheelchair Basketball Canada during one of the program’s most successful eras, contributing to Paralympic gold medals in 2000 and 2004, and a World Championship gold in 2006. Over the course of his career, he helped prepare ten Paralympic teams and attended five Paralympic Games, beginning with Atlanta in 1996, often sharing the bench with Joe.
Yet despite all of these accomplishments, it was the person Paul showed up as that Joe hopes people will remember, not just the service he gave. Joe reflected fondly on Paul’s cackling laughter and his deep belief that “what you’re doing right now is the most important thing you’ll do today.” He reminisced about Paul’s fun-loving, live-in-the-moment attitude, and his familiar call of “Giddy-up!” when circumstances required it.
Joe hopes that, above all else, people remember that Paul Bowes was much more than a member of the wheelchair basketball community. He lived a full and generous life, one grounded in a deep love for his family, a passion for sport and golf, and a commitment to helping others, including the rescue dogs he and his wife, Laurie, cared for so deeply.
Joe shared that he was fortunate enough to golf with Paul in one of his final rounds, another reflection of the balance Paul carried so intentionally throughout his life. It’s a balance that can sometimes be overlooked in parasport, where achievements on the court can overshadow the person behind them. But for Paul, those pieces were never separate.
As Joe put it, being known as one of the best wheelchair basketball coaches was never what defined Paul. He believed in doing things fully, with purpose and without regret. And he lived that belief every day. When you leave, it is the legacy of who you were and what you did that remains. Paul’s was a remarkable one.
“Bring out the best in others.” It’s a simple idea, but one Paul embodied completely, in his athletes, in his fellow coaches, and in his friendships.
And perhaps that is what remains most meaningful. As Joe shared, “we owe our friendship to wheelchair basketball.” Through the game, Paul built something lasting: connections, community, and a standard of care for others that will carry on well beyond his time on the court.
