COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) announced on Wednesday that former Southwest Minnesota State University wheelchair basketball standout Josh Turek has been named to the NWBA Hall of Fame.

The 2023 NWBA Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on Saturday, April 1, in the Grand Ballroom at the Holiday Inn, in Wichita, Kan.

A native of Council Bluffs, Iowa, Turek is known to be one of the most decorated players to have competed at the intercollegiate, international and national team levels. Turek attended SMSU from 1997 to 2002 and left the wheelchair basketball program as the most prolific scorer in team history. The 2002 SMSU Male Student-Athlete of the Year, Turek finished his career scoring 4,024 points and grabbing 1,213 rebounds. He was a four-time team MVP, four-time All-American and three-year team captain. He holds school single-season records in field goals made and points, along with holding single-game records for points scored, 3-point field goals made and free throws made.

Turek is a four-time Paralympian, having won a bronze medal in London in 2012 and helping win back-to-back gold medals for the 2016 Rio Paralympics and 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

Turek had a successful professional career playing in Europe in several countries for 18 years, becoming one of the first Americans to pave the way to Europe. His accomplishments in European professional leagues include Copa Italia Champion (2004), three-time Spanish League Champion, three-time Copa del Rey Champion (2010-2013), French Cup Champion (2014), and EuroCup Champion (2019). He won several MVPs and All-Star 5’s during this time in Europe.

Turek’s leadership, professionalism, and deep passion for disability advocacy led him to run for the Iowa House of Representatives in the 2022 Midterm Elections where he became the first elected official using a wheelchair to represent his district and individuals with a disability on a political level.

Turek was inducted into the SMSU Athletics Hall of Honor in February of 2022.