Basketball league provides year-round play for intellectually disabled athletes

People generally are inspired by those older than themselves.

Not so with Nick LaVere, whose younger brother was the inspiration behind the National Ability Basketball League.

Established in 2023 by LaVere, the nonprofit NABL provides year-round basketball opportunities for athletes with intellectual disabilities.

A former Glenbard North basketball player who earned all-DuPage Valley Conference honors as a senior guard in 2015-16 before he played at Dominican University, LaVere, 27, sought to expand opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities.

Such as his brother, Alex, 26, who is autistic.

Alex LaVere played in Special Olympics basketball at Glenbard South, his brother said, and continues to play with the Western DuPage Special Recreation Association (WDSRA) program.

When those seasons end, the goal of the National Ability Basketball League is to keep players engaged in the sport.

“I realized that after their seasons are done, there’s no off-season opportunities for them. There’s no off-season training for them to continue to work on their game,” said Nick LaVere, who lives in Bartlett.

Alex LaVere lives with his parents in Carol Stream.

“Not only are we trying to become a special recreational organization … we want to keep giving them year-round opportunities to keep playing the game they love,” Nick LaVere said.

Bolstered by a vice president, a fundraising director and a board of directors, the NABL is concluding its 10-week summer basketball program at the Carol Stream Park District’s Fountain View Recreation Center.

The final one-hour camps start at 6 p.m. Thursdays, Aug. 21 and 28. About 20 players participate.

Payton Perry of Wheaton, 19, and his twin brother, Luke, are two of those involved.

“You get to learn how to play basketball, learn the fundamentals, and learn the game, too,” Payton Perry said.

He played on teams that twice finished in the top three in state competitions, once with Glenbard South High School’s Special Olympics team, and once with District 87’s Transition program.

“I learned how to be a better leader in basketball,” Perry added.

This year’s summer program attracted all male players. However, several female players participated in the first NABL camp in 2024, LaVere said.

“We definitely want to be coed,” he said.

LaVere also coordinates community events and scrimmages at colleges and universities. Future events are scheduled at Aurora University (Dec. 6), Dominican University (Jan. 31) and Waubonsee Community College (Feb. 7). He hopes to arrange another during halftime of a Northwestern University men’s or women’s basketball game.

For now, LaVere runs NABL when he’s not working full-time as a warehouse manager.

His “dream” is to make the basketball league a full-time pursuit. He would like to offer one-on-one training sessions, fundraisers and sponsorships, multiple teams and a full schedule, along with the off-season program.

“Everyone has loved it so far, all the parents who have had their sons be able to participate,” LaVere said.

Here again, influence goes from young to old, with athletes saying they want to continue working on their game.

“I wish they would make more events this year,” Payton Perry said.

“They’re always asking for more — ‘When’s the next opportunity?’” LaVere said.

“We even get that from parents, that’s how much they enjoy what we’ve been able to do so far.”

LaVere and the NABL will be saluted Aug. 27 by the Kane County Cougars as part of their “Community Spotlight” series.