Lindsey Zurbrugg, a Paralympic athlete, inspires many athletes striving to achieve their dreams. Since childhood, she dreamed of physically preparing herself to win an Olympic medal and excel in her favorite sport: women’s basketball.
During the 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend, a team from EssentiallySports interviewed the young athlete, and her answers surprised many. She clearly refused to let her condition become a barrier to the goals she set in sports.
A girl determined to win
Lindsey Zurbrugg started playing basketball as a child, and her greatest dream was to join the WNBA. However, some time later, doctors diagnosed her with tethered spinal cord syndrome. She was just a teenager when she became paralyzed from the waist down. Yet, only a year later, she returned to the court in a wheelchair. She simply shifted her focus, not her goals.
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Zurbrugg relearned how to play basketball in her wheelchair and reached the level she had always dreamed of. She won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games and another bronze in Paris. About this, she told the sports outlet: “I think it was crazy for me, because growing up I was healthy, and I watched the Olympics. I always wanted to be like a WNBA player. But I was 5’4″ and, sorry, 5’4″ just doesn’t cut it.“
“And then, when I got injured, I found out about the Paralympics. I mean, it’s Disability Pride Month!… I’m so proud of the fact that I have a disability and I’ve won a silver and a bronze. That’s crazy,” she added with great excitement.
She also confirmed her desire to continue shining in women’s basketball, and that’s why she is preparing for the 2026 World Championship and the 2028 Paralympic Games.
