Early Life

When Steve was 11 months old, he had surgery to remove a spinal tumor which resulted in the compression of his spinal cord. Consequently, he was left paralyzed and is classified as an incomplete paraplegic.

Steve 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. He was a tremendous asset to this team, eventually leading them to the team's first National Championship in 2005 where was named the tournament MVP. In that same year, he played on a USA U-23 Team played at the Australian Junior National Games for the Disabled in Sydney.

Education:

2005: Graduated from Carle Place High School

2010: Graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he studied Kinesiology

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

• 2010: National Champion - U.S. Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball
• 2010: MVP - NWBA College Division
• 2008: National Champion - U.S. Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball
• 2008: MVP - NWBA College Division

US National Team

• 2016: Gold Medal - Paralympic Games, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• 2012: Bronze Medal - Paralympic Games, London, UK
• 2010: Third place - Wheelchair Basketball World Championship, Birmingham, England, UK
• 2009: First place - America's Cup, Richmond, BC, Canada
• 2008: Fourth place - Paralympic Games, Beijing, China
• 2008: First place - North American Cup, Birmingham, Alabama
• 2007: Gold medal - Parapan American Games, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• 2006: Silver medal - IWBF Gold Cup (World Championships), Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Professional

• 2017: ESPY - Best Male Athlete With a Disability
• 2011: German DRS Cup Champion
• 2011: German Championship
• 2011: IWBF Champions League Silver Medal
• 2012: German DRS Cup Champion
• 2012: German Championship

Steve Wins An ESPY!

An ESPY Award (short for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award) is an accolade currently presented by the American broadcast television network ABC, and previously ESPN, to recognize individual and team athletic achievement and other sports-related performance during the calendar year preceding a given annual ceremony. The first ESPYs were awarded in 1993.

From their inception until 2004, ESPY Award winners were chosen only through voting by fans. Since 2004, sportswriters, broadcasters, sports executives, and sports persons, collectively experts; or ESPN personalities also vote. Award winners have been selected thereafter exclusively through online fan balloting conducted from amongst candidates selected by the ESPY Select Nominating Committee.

Steve Serio is the first NWBA (National Wheelchair Basketball Association) athlete to win an ESPY! He won Best Male Athlete with a Disability. CONGRATS, STEVE!!!!!!!