Shaun White’s heart condition connected him with Jimmy Kimmel and fans
01.07.2023 - 15:51
/ nypost.com
Shaun White: The Last Run.”“But after my second Olympics, I . . .
talked about it. And then I got to hear stories . .
. and just these amazing letters and messages that came to me.“Even Jimmy Kimmel called and was like, ‘Hey, my son is going through multiple heart surgeries and we were in the hospital and the first name they brought up was yours . .
. maybe my son can have a chance to have a normal life and not just normal, it could be extraordinary.'”White, 36, grew up to become the GOAT of snowboarding, but kept his three Olympic gold medals hidden away.“You won’t really see any trophies at my house,” he said. “It was a mental thing.
. . .I was just kind of on this mission and I didn’t want any reminders of success around me.
I would just win the trophy, put it away and just keep going because it was more about what’s next. It took me a lot later on in life to go, ‘Ok, let’s celebrate a bit.'”The San Diego native started competing at 7 and was a millionaire by 15. One of his purchases after his first Olympic win at 19 was a Lamborghini, which he soon wrecked.
“My friends are like, ‘Let’s go get some food’ and I’m like, ‘Ok, I’ll beat you there,'” he said. “And I’m flying through my neighborhood … and I just hit this turn and the car spun and I hit one of the trees … It was a whole thing. I ended up going to driving school after that because they weren’t going to give me insurance to get a new one.” White, who is also a former professional skateboarder, and holds the world record for the most X Games gold medals and most Olympic gold medals by a snowboarder, loves his fans.