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Four-time Paralympian Mike Paye Is Focused for Another Paralympic Run Towards Tokyo 2020

By Taylor Bond NWBA, 08/10/17, 1:00AM CDT

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Four-time Paralympian, and top scorer at the Parapan American Games in 2015, Mike Paye is an experienced veteran. Paye has over 10 years of international play under his belt and numerous other significant IWBF competitions. His cool, calm and collected play and years of play made Paye the perfect candidate to be a co-captain for the 2016 Rio Paralympic team where he was able to help secure gold for Team USA.

As a child, Paye loved every sport and every team that would let him play. He was unfortunately turned down to play on city and school teams because of his wheelchair. However, at 10 years old, things were looking up to play wheelchair basketball. Following a successful Junior career, he played at The University of Texas at Arlington where he won two National Championships.

After college, the next step was elite play and the professional European league. He went straight to Germany to play professionally in the summer of 2006. He fell in love with the competition environment, his team and the country. He also met his wife in Germany and that is where the two currently reside.

Paye and Lena may reside in Giessen, Germany but he refuses to call it home. He says a piece of him is in his home state of Michigan and Texas where most of his friends and old teammates are. He gets back to both places often, as traveling is one of his fondest hobbies. Family is what he treasures most.

This four-time Paralympian has no plans of slowing down and the eyes are focused on Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Having played since the age of 12 he sees it impossible for him to let go just yet. However, when he does begin slowing down he has aspirations of coaching his great sport and giving back to the wheelchair basketball community.