Little Lindsey Zurbugg had dreamt of winning an Olympic medal for as long as she could remember. So when our EssentiallySports correspondent met her at the WNBA All Stars Weekend 2025 and asked her if standing on the podium was something she envisioned as a child, her answer was loud, proud, and clear: Y-E-S. A lot had changed since that life-altering summer of 2011, but nothing could prepare us for the honesty and heart she brought to the conversation 14 years later. Few carry this kind of courage, and after this interview, Lindsey won even more hearts…

When Lindsey Zurbugg first picked up a basketball, she had big dreams, the WNBA kind. But after a diagnosis of Tethered Cord Syndrome in her early teens, those dreams took a sharp turn. The condition left her paralyzed from the waist down, and suddenly, the court looked different. But Lindsey wasn’t someone who would be mopey and ask, “Why me?”

Within a year, she was back in the game, and this time, on wheels. What could’ve been the end of her basketball journey became a whole new beginning. She relearned the game she loved and learned to dribble the basketball in a wheelchair. “Oh woe is me, I’m having such a wretched life,” that was never her mindset. But she had a few hidden dreams that only came forward for the first time today, exclusively as she spoke to EssentiallySports!

Today, Lindsey is the proud owner of not one but two Paralympic medals, a bronze from Tokyo and a silver from Paris. So when our EssentiallySports correspondent, Chloe Mitchell, caught up with her courtside at the WNBA All-Star Weekend 2025, the mood was celebratory. This was Lindsey’s moment, and we were there to soak it in with her. When asked if standing on the Paralympic podium was a childhood dream come true, Lindsey smiled and said, “I think for me it was absolutely insane, because when I grew up, I was able-bodied and I watched the Olympics. I always wanted to be like a WNBA player. But I was 5’4″ and I’m sorry, 5’4″ isn’t making it very well” she joked. Clearly, Lindsey has a sense of humor! But her WNBA aspirations? Sadly, they remained accomplished. Yep — Lindsey’s got a sense of humor. As for those WNBA dreams? They may have shifted, but her drive never wavered.

So to say, she transformed her shortcomings a bit. Lindsey said, “And then when I got injured, I learned about the Paralympics. I mean, it’s Disability Pride Month!” At that moment, our correspondent, Chloe, couldn’t help but smile and clap with admiration. Because what Lindsey said next was unforgettable. “I’m so proud of the fact that I have a disability and I’ve accomplished a silver and a bronze. That’s insane.” Her 22 points in Tokyo and 12 in Paris are numbers forever etched into her memory.

And no, she’s not done yet. Lindsey Zurbugg isn’t putting away her jersey. She’s aiming for that next big dream and was one of those rare athletes who told us that herself.

Paralympian Lindsey Zurbugg’s coming to LA in 2028!

Nearly a year after clinching silver in Paris, she’s already locked in on LA 2028. The U.S. Women’s Wheelchair Basketball team has kicked off its new qualifying cycle, and Zurbrugg is right in the thick of it. The team has officially begun its next qualifying cycle, and Zurbrugg is once again right in the middle of it. After being named to the 2025 IWBF Americas Cup roster, a key stepping stone toward the 2026 World Championships and, eventually, the 2028 Paralympics, Zurbrugg knows exactly what she’s chasing. Gold. And she’s not sugarcoating it.

“We’ve got a next step,” she told us at the WNBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, where EssentiallySports was on-site for the #ItsHerMoment celebration. “It’s called LA 2028, where we’re going to get gold. Because that’s the goal.” Wordplay? Add that to her list of talents.

“Well, it’s a grind. You’re probably averaging around 20 to 25 hours per week of working out, whether that’s weightlifting, on the court, or conditioning. But I know every other Paralympic team is training to beat us. So I’ve got to work harder than the next team around.”

And why does she do it? “Because I love winning. I love beating everybody else. And because America’s great.” From a little girl with WNBA dreams to a Paralympic star chasing gold on home soil, Lindsey Zurbrugg’s story isn’t just inspiring, it’s still unfolding. And LA will write a brand-new chapter to this best-selling book!