Matt Scott (born March 27, 1985) is an American

wheelchair basketball Wheelchair basketball is a style of basketball played using a sports wheelchair. The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) is the governing body for this sport. It is recognized by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) as ...

player.

Biography

Matt Scott was born in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, where he began playing wheelchair basketball with the Sterling Heights Challengers in the NWBA Junior Division. As a high schooler, he was on the gold medal-winning US team at the

2007 Parapan American Games The 2007 Parapan American Games, officially the III Parapan American Games, were a major international multi-sport event for Disabled sports, athletes with disabilities, celebrated in the tradition of the Parapan American Games as governed by the ...

in Brazil, where he was coached by Tracy Chynoweth, head coach of

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

's college wheelchair basketball team. Scott played five years for the UW-Whitewater Warhawks in the NWBA College Division, winning championships three out of five years in 2004, 2005, and 2007. During his time at Whitewater, he competed in the

2004 Summer Paralympics The 2004 Summer Paralympics (), the 12th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Athens, Greece, from 17 to 28 September ...

and

2008 Summer Paralympics The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games (), the 13th Summer Paralympic Games, took place in Beijing, China, from September 6 to 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao. It was ...

. He also won a silver medal at IWBF World Championship in 2006 in Amsterdam. He was nominated for the

Best Male Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award The Best Male Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award is an annual award honoring the achievements of a male individual from the world of disabled sports. Established with the aid of disability advocate and former United States men's Paralympic socc ...

in 2008. After college, Scott played professionally for

Galatasaray S.K. Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club''), more commonly referred to as simply Galatasaray and familiarly as Cimbom, is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul including basketball, wheelchair ...

in Istanbul, Turkey for six seasons from 2008 to 2014. In 2012, Matt Scott helped Team USA to a bronze medal in their 61–46 victory over Great Britain. Scott continued his professional career with Comune Di Porto Torres in Italy for two seasons from 2014 to 2016, during which time Scott's game film of him making multiple three-point shots in front of a crowded arena went viral, prompting the sports blog The Undefeated to publish a write-up titled "Meet the Steph Curry of Wheelchair Basketball." Whistle Sports also shared the game film, which has garnered over 2.5M views on Facebook. Scott left Italy to play three seasons with the RSB Thuringia Bulls in Exleben, Germany. He competed in the 2016 Summer Paralympics, where Team USA defeated Spain 68–52 to win Team USA's first gold medal since 1988. Scott then returned to RSB Thuringia where he and Team USA teammate Jake Williams helped the Bulls win the

IWBF Champions Cup The IWBF Champions League, formerly IWBF Champions Cup, is the top European competition in wheelchair basketball clubs in mens. Events Since 2009, the European club competitions work as this: *Tier 1: IWBF Champions League *Tier 2: EuroCup 1 ...

in 2018 and 2019. In November 2018, Scott fell ill and contracted sepsis, leading to months-long hospitalization during which time he went into a coma for two weeks. He later recovered and returned to playing, but credits the episode for putting his life and basketball career in perspective. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when it was uncertain whether the German RBBL would execute a season, Scott signed with CP Mideba in Badajoz, Spain. In 2021, he competed in the Tokyo Paralympic Games and helped secure a repeat gold medal for the United States in a 64–60 victory over Japan. Matt now resides in the Bay Area. Scott is one of the most sought-after wheelchair basketball players by well-known brands. He was the first US Paralympian to star in a

Nike, Inc. Nike, Inc. (stylized as ''NIKE'') is an American athletic footwear and apparel corporation headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon. It is the world's largest supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment, ...

advertisement, "No Excuses", where the viewer is made unaware of his disability until the camera zooms out to show his basketball wheelchair at the end. Scott has also been a spokesperson for Travel Wisconsin, participated in a digital marketing campaign for the

Apple Watch The Apple Watch is a brand of smartwatch products developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple. It incorporates activity tracker, fitness tracking, Health (Apple), health-oriented capabilities, and wireless telecommunication, and integrates wit ...

, and has been an athlete ambassador for

Ralph Lauren Ralph Lauren ( ; ; born October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman, best known for founding the brand Ralph Lauren (brand), Ralph Lauren, a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He stepped do ...

References

External links