4 Trailblazing API Athletes & Leaders in the Sports Industry

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In 2023, the sports industry saw the meteoric rise of API athletes: Paralympic Scout Bassett, Las Vegas Raiders President Sandra Douglass Morgan, and Olympic Gold Medalist Carissa Moore. These individuals were featured on Gold House’s A100 List which pays tribute to the 100 most impactful Asian Pacific leaders across various industries from the previous year. From Scout Bassett to Nyjah Huston, EnVi highlights four A100 Honorees from the sports industry who are breaking barriers and making strides towards a better, more diverse tomorrow.

Scout Bassett

In 2016, Scout Bassett represented Team USA in the Rio Paralympics, and she has her eyes set on the 2024 Paralympics. A Para Track and Field athlete, Bassett specializes in 100- and 200-meter dash races. She is also the author of Lucky Girl as well as a motivational speaker.

Bassett lost her right leg to a chemical fire when she was an infant and spent the first years of her life in an orphanage in Nanjing, China. When she was 7, Bassett was adopted and brought to America. She connected with her peers through sports and went on to try out basketball, softball, tennis, and golf. Then at age 14, Bassett received a grant from the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) for a running prosthetic and hasn’t looked back since.

This grant changed Bassett’s life in more ways than one. She intends to carry this impact forward with her own grant, the Scout Bassett Grant, which she launched in 2023. In partnership with the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF), Bassett aims to provide financial support to women athletes with disabilities as well as spotlight their talents and achievements.

Just this year, Bassett also became President of the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF), making her the first Asian American President in the foundation’s 50-year history. As a Paralympian and head of the WSF, Scout Bassett intends to light the way for the future generation of athletes.

Nyjah Huston

When he was younger, Nyjah Huston’s backyard turned into a skatepark. His father was a former skater and built ramps as well as obstacles for Huston and his siblings to practice. This was the place Huston trained and received his first sponsorship at just seven years old. In 2006, Huston became the youngest to ever compete in the X Games.

Widely recognized for shaping skateboard culture and for his consistent prowess in
competitions, Huston is a 13-time X Games Gold Medalist. He went on to represent Team USA in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and was named 2021 TIME100 Next honoree.

As Huston continues to drive skateboarding culture into new heights, he also co-founded the Let It Flow Foundation with his mother to help repair water wells and provide water filtration systems to homes in developing countries. This mission stems from his own experience living on a remote farm in Puerto Rico that often left his family with no running water. While he has his eyes set on the 2024 Paris Olympics, Huston also hopes to inspire the future generation to pursue the path of a pro-skater by sharing his own story.

Carissa Moore

Carissa Moore caught her first wave at the age of five in Waikiki, Hawaii. Her father, who was a competitive swimmer, encouraged Moore’s love for surfing and the ocean. However, what was first a hobby she shared with her dad soon became a competitive sport as Moore continued to excel in surfing.

At 11 years old, she secured multiple wins at the National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA). Then in 2008, she won the Reef Hawaiian Pro Women’s Champion at just 16 years old. Two years later, Carrissa Moore became the youngest person to win a surfing world title at the ASP Championship Tour (now called the World Surf League). She went on to secure four more World Tour Championships in 2013, 2015, 2019, and 2021. In 2020, Moore achieved her biggest win yet when she became the first winner of the Olympic Gold Medal in surfing.

Born and raised near an ocean, Moore aims to use her platform to inspire young girls as well as campaign for the protection of our oceans. She is an ambassador for Surfrider, which is a foundation dedicated to protecting the ocean. During her surfing hiatus in 2022, Moore created her charitable foundation Moore Aloha with a mission to spread “Moore love,” give back to her community, and share surfing with the next generation. She previously partnered with Surfrider to host beach clean-ups together with Moore Aloha.

Sandra Douglass Morgan

Sandra Douglass Morgan is no stranger to breaking barriers. Years after she moved to Las Vegas, Nevada when she was a toddler, Douglass Moore completed her bachelor’s degree and J.D. at the University of Nevada. Five years later, Douglass Morgan became her home state’s first African American city attorney.

She previously served as Chairwoman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board where she spearheaded the implementation of various wagering regulations and adopted policies prohibiting discrimination and harassment. She was also a commissioner on the Nevada State Athletic Commission and was an advisor to the State of Nevada’s Covid-19 task force. Recently, she served as the vice chair of the Super Bowl LVIII Host Committee. Recognized for her legal, business, and educational contributions to her community, Douglass Morgan was awarded the UNLV Boyd School of Law’s Distinguished Service Alumni Award.

On July 7, 2022, Douglass Morgan made history once again when she became the president of the Las Vegas Raiders, making her the first Black woman to serve as an executive for a NFL team. Bringing a plethora of legal and business experience to the table, Douglass Morgan is the driving force behind the team’s off-field successes, sponsorships, and community engagement.

Celebrating API Talent

Although only four are highlighted here, there are many athletes creating change in their industries. As more API athletes and leaders are being recognized for their work in the sports industry, they are simultaneously lighting the way for the future generation.