Born in Nicaragua, Lopez moved with his parents to New York City in 1972. In his native country, his father, Julio, worked for the dictator Anastasio Somoza, who was overthrown in 1979 after the Sandinista Revolution. His father took odd jobs to support his family but later relocated to Texas. López first learned the sport of Taekwondo in his garage at the age of five from his father and Jean, his older brother. He is a 1997 graduate of Kempner High School in Sugar Land, Texas where he was voted "most likely to succeed" and was member of the National Honor Society. López's siblings, Mark, Diana and Jean Lopez, are all USA National Team Members in Taekwondo. His younger siblings, Mark and Diana, also represented the United States at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, marking the first time since 1904 that three siblings have been on the same Olympic team. Both López and siblings, Mark and Diana, made sports history in April 2005 when they all claimed a world championship title at the same event with their oldest brother, Jean, participating in the feat as their coach. Steven Lopez and Diana Lopez both qualified for the 2012 Olympic games in London in July 2012 at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO. On January 2006, López tested positive for a banned substance which he said came from an over-the-counter vapor inhaler he used. López promptly accepted a three-month suspension and participated in an educational anti-doping program. López has appeared in People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People. In 2012, he participated in Fox's dating game showThe Choice. López is a Roman Catholic who attends St. Theresa Catholic Church in Sugar Land, Texas, and has said his faith has always been a very important part of his life.
Sexual misconduct allegations
Both López and his older brother Jean have been investigated by SafeSport regarding allegations of sexual misconduct. In April 2018, Jean was issued a lifetime ban from all World Taekwondo events due to his investigation. Steven López was banned in September 2018. On April 25, 2018, the Houston Chronicle reported both brothers are the subject of separate lawsuits filed in Colorado of sexual misconduct involving two female taekwondo athletes. Amber Means Randall says in her lawsuit that López assaulted and harassed her from the time she was 17 years old, and that López engaged in sexual activities with under-age athletes at various international tournaments. The lawsuit also alleges that López raped Randall while she was unconscious at a friend's party in 2008. Lopez's suspension by SafeSport was overturned in arbitration in December 2018; however, because of the ban by World Taekwondo, López was ineligible for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
