After losing his mother at age five, he and his four siblings lived with relatives in the New South Wales town of Balranald.

[11] One of Coombs' daughters, Rose Falla, is the first Aboriginal magistrate in Victoria.

[12] His other daughter, Janine, is the Deputy Chair of Barengi Gadjin Land Council.

[14] Coombs was part of the Australia men's national wheelchair basketball team at the 1960 Rome, 1968 Tel Aviv, 1972 Heidelberg, 1980 Arnhem and 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville Paralympics.

[17] He captained the silver medal-winning Australian wheelchair basketball team at the 1974 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in Dunedin, led the Australian team in gold medal performances at the 1977 and 1982 FESPIC Games, captained the team at the 1977 Silver Jubilee Games, and played in the 1983 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship.

[15][16] In 1983 Coombs received a Medal of the Order of Australia "in recognition of service to sport for the disabled and to Aboriginal welfare".

[15] Basketball Australia holds a national annual Kevin Coombs Cup for Juniors with the first held in 2007.