Paul Schulte

Started: He began playing wheelchair basketball at age 14 in Michigan, United States of America. (paulschulte.com, 02 Apr 2011) Reason: He was inspired to get involved in the sport after he watched a men's wheelchair basketball team practising in Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America. "I was blown away. The guys could do handstands with their wheelchairs attached to them, they hit three-pointers, they were just as fast as able-bodied players, and my stereotype was absolutely smashed." (paulschulte.com, 02 Apr 2011) Ambition: To win gold at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (nbcsports.com, 04 Apr 2024) Awards: In 2006 he was inducted into the Athletes with Disabilities Hall of Fame. (paulschulte.com, 02 Apr 2011) In 2003 he was nominated for the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability award. (paulschulte.com, 02 Apr 2011) In 2003 wheelchair manufacturer Top End named a line of wheelchairs after him [the Paul Schulte Signature Series]. (paulschulte.com, 02 Apr 2011; uta.edu, 13 Sep 2011) He was named Most Valuable Player [MVP] at the 2002 World Championships in Kitakyushu, Japan. (paulschulte.com, 02 Apr 2011) He was named MVP and co-winner of the Sportsmanship Award as a member of the University of Texas at Arlington team that won the National Intercollegiate Championship in his senior year of college. In 2002 his jersey number [20] was retired at the university. (paulschulte.com, 02 Apr 2011; thehartford.com, 01 Dec 2002) Additional Info: RETIREMENT AND COMEBACK Having competed at three Paralympic Games between 2000 and 2012, he retired from the sport in 2015 to focus on his family and career away from sport. He decided to return to competitive wheelchair basketball in 2023 after meeting Para athletes Heinz Frei, Carlos Moleda, and Krige Schabort, and getting involved in handcycling. "They didn't say this, but what I learned was, wow, us basketball players think that we're all washed up when we're over 40. In these endurance sports, I was a baby. They taught me what my body was still capable of." (nbcsports.com, 04 Apr 2024)