Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) is no stranger to champions. Recently, the organization welcomed NFL-winning quarterback Drew Brees to its San Diego headquarters for an unforgettable day of learning adaptive sports from elite athletes. 

Among them was Steve Serio, four-time Paralympian and co-captain of Team USA Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Team, who brought his Paralympic medals, powerful story, and elite skills for a hands-on experience with Drew. 

Steve Serio’s Journey to Becoming a Paralympic Champion 

Steve Serio grew up in Westbury, New York, and at just 11 months old underwent surgery to remove a spinal tumor that compressed his spinal cord, resulting in incomplete paraplegia. 

As a sophomore in high school, Steve discovered wheelchair basketball when he joined the Long Island Lightning, the only junior competitive wheelchair basketball team in New York State. His natural talent and leadership helped lead the team to its first national championship in 2005, where he was named MVP. That same year, he represented the USA at the Australian Junior National Games for the Disabled. 

After graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Kinesiology, Steve joined Team USA and has since become a four-time Paralympian and three-time medalist, winning back-to-back gold medals in Rio (2016) and Tokyo (2020). He is currently preparing for his fifth Paralympic Games in Paris 2024. 

“Wheelchair basketball was the first time I felt free from my disability,” Steve says. “It allowed me to embrace what made me different and realize my potential as an athlete.” 

Drew Brees Gets in the Game 

When Drew arrived at CAF headquarters, he had the same questions many people do when first seeing wheelchair basketball: 

• Do players shoot on a 10-foot hoop? 

• Can you dribble in a wheelchair? 

• Are the rules the same? 

“I’m going to try their sport, with them,” Drew said. “I can’t wait—it’s going to be fun.” 

Steve predicted that Drew’s competitive drive would kick in once he hit the court—and he was right. 

Sharing the Power of Sport 

Strapped into a basketball wheelchair, Drew began passing and shooting with Steve’s guidance. They moved across the court, took seated layups, and shared plenty of smiles. When Steve hit a three-pointer, Drew refused to stop until he sank his own shot from the top of the key. When it finally dropped, the room erupted with cheers. 

“I think it was a transformative moment for Drew to understand how wheelchair basketball is played,” Steve said. “He treated me with great respect and rose to the challenge of learning a new sport.” 

Two Champions, One Mission 

It was a day to remember for both high-performance athletes—a celebration of competition, mutual respect, and CAF’s mission to empower individuals with physical challenges through sports.