‘He's a fighter': Sherman native shines winning National Wheelchair Basketball Player of the Year

RJ Fitzpatrick is pushing boundaries in wheelchair basketball, all while facing the toughest battle of his life off the court.

The Sherman native has overcome adversity from the moment he was born.

“I was actually an identical triplet but the two others passed after birth. I didn’t have enough blood, which kind of caused me to be born without a leg, so this is all I’ve known,” Fitzpatrick said.

Fitzpatrick swam and ran cross country at New Fairfield High School, but discovered his passion in eighth grade: wheelchair basketball.

“It’s definitely tough growing up. But once I found those people, everything changed,” he said.

His talent earned him a scholarship to play at the University of Illinois.

“It’s a whole different world, you know, stepping on that court. I feel pretty free. I feel like it’s where I belong,” Fitzpatrick says.

This year, he was named the 2026 National Wheelchair Basketball Association Player of the Year after leading Illinois to the Final Four.

“He is celebrating his teammates’ success more than he’s ever celebrating the little successes of his own. I think that’s the biggest reason why anybody should ever win Player of the Year,” Illinois head wheelchair basketball coach Jacob Tyree said.

But while Fitzpatrick was playing his way to the sport’s highest individual award, he wasn’t able to share it with his biggest fan, his father.

“Seeing my dad struggle after providing his children and his family with the best life ever. It’s tough, you know, that’s the one man that really wants you to be better than himself,” Fitzpatrick said.

His father, Peter, was diagnosed with brain cancer two years ago and passed away last month.

“I wasn’t able to get a response from my father, but I truly believe that he could hear me,” he said.

“He’s a fighter. That’s the best way to describe RJ. His ability this year to take on something so much heavier than anything else that he had ever been faced with and then just turn it into something positive, something that motivates him. It made him a better teammate. It made him a better person,” Tyree said.

“It made it extra special because Peter was always so proud of him. And I think he knew that this day was coming,” his mother, Deirdre Fitzpatrick, added.

Because Peter didn’t need an award to know his son was something special.

“His heart was so pure, and he would always do anything for others,” Fitzpatrick says.

Now, Fitzpatrick says his greatest reward is carrying on his dad’s legacy.

“He is a lot like his dad. And I think all these experiences, the good and bad, are going to help him do something very satisfying in life,” his mother says.

Tyree said Fitzpatrick’s talent could earn him a trip to the Paralympics.

But for now, he says he’s focused on something just as meaningful, making sure others get the same chance he did and maybe even starting a Division I program closer to his home state of Connecticut.

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