Steve Serio
American wheelchair basketball player
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Steven Dillon Serio (born September 8, 1987) is a wheelchair basketball player. As a co-captain of the USA Men's National Wheelchair Basketball Team, he led the American men to their first Paralympic gold medal since 1988 at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games[1] and defended the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.[2] He currently plays for the New York Rolling Knicks in the NWBA Championship Division.[3]
United StatesSerio in 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Steven Dillon Serio | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nickname | Steve | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | September 8, 1987 Mineola, New York, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) (2011) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg) (2011) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Wheelchair Basketball | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | Briantea 84 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Biography
Serio grew up in Westbury, New York and graduated from Carle Place High School in 2005. When he was 11 months old, he had surgery to remove a spinal tumor, resulting in the compression of his spinal cord. Consequently, he was left paralyzed and is classified as an incomplete paraplegic.[4]
Serio began his wheelchair basketball career as a sophomore in high school with the Long Island Lightning, the only competitive junior wheelchair basketball team in New York State.[5] He became a tremendous asset to this team, eventually leading to its first National Championship in 2005. Serio himself was named the tournament's Most Valued Player.[6] That same year, Serio played on a USA U-23 Team participating at the Australian Junior National Games for the Disabled in Sydney.[6]
Serio also played point guard for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He was named a 2nd Team's All-American in both the 2005–6 and 2006–7 seasons at Illinois.[7] At the National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball Tournament held at Oklahoma State University on March 15, 2008, Serio led the Illinois to a NIWBA Championship over the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.[8] Serio took home the Championship Game Player of the Game, NWBA Tournament MVP, and the NWBA 31st NIWBT Player of the Year.[9] Serio graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in May 2010 with a degree in kinesiology.
He also plays on the U.S. Paralympics Men's Wheelchair Basketball Team, which came in second place at the World Championships in Amsterdam in the summer of 2006.[10] In the summer of 2007, the U.S. National Team won a gold medal at the Parapan American Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Serio made his Paralympic debut with the U.S. National Team in 2008 in Beijing.[11] The team finished in fourth place, just missing a medal. Since that disappointing Paralympics, the U.S. National Team has taken the gold medal at the 2009 America's Cup in Richmond, Canada[12] and finished third at the 2010 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship in Birmingham, England.[13]
Serio is a co-captain of the USA Men's National Wheelchair Basketball Team. He led the American men to their first Paralympic gold medal since 1988 at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games.[1] and defended the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.[2]
Serio has lived in Germany and played for RSV Lahn-Dill. His contract was extended through the 2016 season.[14] He currently plays for the New York Rolling Knicks in the NWBA Championship Division.[3]
Along with sitting volleyball player Nicky Nieves, Serio served as one of two flag bearers for Team USA at the 2024 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony in Paris.[15]
Major achievements
Juniors
- 2005: First place - Junior National Wheelchair Basketball Championships
- 2005: Tournament MVP - Junior National Wheelchair Basketball Championships
- 2005: Gold medal - World Junior Basketball Championships
Intercollegiate
- 2008: National Champion - U.S. Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball
- 2008: MVP - NWBA College Division
US National Team
- 2006: Silver medal - IWBF Gold Cup (World Championships), Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- 2007: Gold medal - Parapan American Games, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- 2008: Fourth place - Paralympic Games, Beijing, China
- 2008: First place - North American Cup, Birmingham, Alabama
- 2009: First place - America's Cup, Richmond, BC, Canada
- 2010: Third place - Wheelchair Basketball World Championship, Birmingham, England, UK
- 2012: Bronze Medal - Paralympic Games, London, UK
- 2016: Gold Medal - Paralympic Games, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- 2021: Gold Medal - 2020 Summer Paralympics, Tokyo, Japan
Professional
- 2011: German DRS Cup Champion
- 2011: German Championship
- 2011: IWBF Champions League Silver Medal
- 2012: German DRS Cup Champion
- 2012: German Championship
- 2021: IWBF Champions Cup Champion[16]