Tristan Knowles

Tristan Knowles
Born	Tristan Malcolm Knowles (1983-04-25) April 25, 1983 Wodonga, Victoria, Australia
Occupation(s)	Wheelchair basketball player, financial planning manager
Known for	Australian wheelchair basketball player, Paralympic gold and silver medalist

Tristan Malcolm Knowles, OAM (born 25 April 1983), is an accomplished Australian wheelchair basketball athlete who earned a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games and secured silver medals at both the 2004 Athens and 2012 London Paralympics. Representing the Wollongong Roller Hawks, he participated in his sixth Paralympic appearance at the 2024 Paris Games.

Personal

Originating from Wodonga, Victoria, Knowles became an above-knee amputee following a cancer diagnosis. He holds a commerce degree from the University of Wollongong. Beyond his athletic career, he serves as a financial planning manager at the Commonwealth Bank and is the founder of the Tristan Knowles Kids Cancer Foundation.

Basketball

Knowles took up wheelchair basketball in 1999. Classified as a 4 point player, he fulfills the guard-forward position.

State team

He led the New South Wales Under-21 state team as captain to achieve four straight national titles.

National team

Making his debut for Australia's national squad in 2001, Knowles has been a key contributor over multiple international competitions.

Paralympics

He played an integral role in Australia's silver medal finish at the 2004 Summer Paralympics and was instrumental in securing gold at the 2008 Summer Paralympics, an achievement that earned him the Medal of the Order of Australia.

In 2011, Knowles joined the senior national team for the qualification tournament ahead of the 2012 Summer Paralympics. During London 2012, he helped Australia capture a silver medal. At his fourth Paralympic appearance in Rio 2016, the Rollers finished in sixth place.

At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, Australia’s Rollers ended fifth with a balanced 4–4 record. Continuing to compete at an elite level, Knowles was part of the squad that placed fifth with a 3–3 record at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.

World Championships

Knowles was a member of the 2006 national team that secured third place at the World Championships. In 2009, during the Rollers World Challenge, he notably scored 15 points against Japan. He contributed significantly to Australia's gold medal victories at both the 2010 and 2014 Wheelchair Basketball World Championships. Additionally, in 2018, Knowles helped guide the Rollers to a bronze medal finish at the World Championship held in Hamburg, Germany.

Club basketball

His professional wheelchair basketball career spans Australia, Spain, and Italy. By 2011, Knowles had dedicated eleven years to playing with the Wollongong Roller Hawks, donning jersey number 9. The Roller Hawks clinched NWBL Championships in both 2003 and 2011; during that latter season, Knowles delivered standout performances including scoring 44 points in the opener and an impressive 48 points in the finals.

In 2010, he played for Valladolid in Spain and was honored as the league’s Most Valuable Player in 2011.

Recognition

In recognition of his outstanding contributions to wheelchair basketball, Knowles was awarded New South Wales Wheelchair Basketballer of the Year in 2002. Alongside Brendan Dowler, he received the Illawarra Mercury Sports Star of the Year Award in 2004.