Wheelchair basketball player with cerebral palsy wants video game featuring disabled athletes

"This is my first mic'd up practice," Mohammed Nadi said as he took the court at his first wheelchair basketball practice for this season.

"When you're pushing, grab the wheel to stop yourself from moving," Nadi instructs a newcomer to the court.

The 22-year-old St. Clair College student with cerebral palsy first came out for the sport five years ago.

"I was immediately blown away by the talent of my teammates and my coach," he said. 

He said it was his coach John Azlen who first mentioned the idea of wheelchair basketball as a video game. 

"My gears in my head started turning, I was like, what can I do to make this happen," Nadi said.

Nadi, an advocate for people with disabilities, said he is reaching out to video game producers like 2K and EA Sports asking them to make a video game featuring the best of the best in the sport. He wants the chance to pitch his game idea.

"I feel like it's time that disabled athletes got the recognition that they more than deserve," he said. "Respectfully, it's time for 2K and EA Sports to get off their high horses and contact me."

"If you don't like it, I at least appreciate you gave me the time but until you give me that time, I'm constantly going to feel like I'm undermined." 

Coach Azlen said he's not surprised by Nadi's push for the game.

"He's always trying to find ways to come up with new ways to raise awareness about people with disabilities across the board, not just similar disabilities as himself," Azlen said.

He said he thinks a video game happening on this scale would raise a lot of awareness about the sport and help bring it a little bit more to the mainstream.

"Unless you're in para-sports to begin with, there's not a lot of recognition," he said.

"I think they should consider it. I think given who they are, especially 2K in the basketball world, it would be a good pet project for them."