An American wheelchair basketball legend delivered gold at final Paralympics

 

An American wheelchair basketball legend delivered gold at final Paralympics

Before the gold medal was placed around his neck, Steve Serio called his teammates together for one last huddle. He had just led them to a 73-69 win over Britain that gave the United States a third straight Paralympic gold in men’s wheelchair basketball, but their victory — and Serio’s career — wasn’t complete until he thanked them. They leaned in on their chairs and listened closely as hundreds of fans waved American flags behind them.

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“I thanked them for their sacrifice, I thanked them for their hard work, and I thanked them for giving me a really cool experience as a retirement gift,” Serio said.

The day Serio found wheelchair basketball, inside a New York gym when he was 15, will always be the most important moment of his life. But there was a surreal feeling how it led to Saturday night. In his final Paralympic game, he delivered 24 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists — and he did it in front of a raucous crowd of nearly 13,000 fans that reflected just how far the sport at the Paralympics has come.

By the time he received his gold medal at Bercy Arena, it was exactly midnight in Paris on his 36th birthday, and Serio was ready to pass the torch to the next generation.

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You look at this game, and this experience a little bit differently when you know it’s your last one,” Serio said. “I can’t think of a better way to go out.”

The United States became the first team to win three straight gold medals in wheelchair basketball, a game that has evolved into one of the world’s most popular para sports. Originally developed by soldiers injured in World War II, it was one of the original eight sports at the first Paralympics in Rome in 1960, and today, hundreds of thousands of people play the game in more than 100 countries.

The rules of wheelchair basketball are largely identical to standing basketball. The primary difference, though, is dribbling: wheelchair players, all of whom have impairments that affect motor function, must pass or bounce the ball after two pushes of their wheels to avoid being penalized for traveling.

The sport has found a foothold in the U.S. thanks in part to a strong collegiate scene, including at Illinois, where Serio competed, and Wisconsin-Whitewater, where half of Team USA’s roster played. Many players find careers competing professionally in Europe, and over the years, the competition has intensified globally. Several stakeholders see an opportunity for the sport to grow in the United States when it is played at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

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