Shaun White

Legend isn’t often a word bestowed upon someone in his early 30s, but then again, most 32-year-olds aren’t Shaun White. Dual-sport professional athlete in snowboarding and skateboarding, 3-time Olympic gold medalist, musician, designer and entrepreneur, White has catapulted the world of action sports into popular culture. With a business acumen as lofty as his massive air on the half pipe, audiences will be floored by his personal story and insights into building a lasting and wildly successful global brand.

With his signature red hair and laid-back personality, Shaun White is best known for his successful career as a professional snowboarder. Shaun was born with a congenital heart defect, which resulted in him having to undergo two heart surgeries before the age of one. Despite these conditions, he became involved with sports like snowboarding at a young age. By the time he was 13, he had already turned pro in snowboarding. While Shaun was being lauded as a snowboard prodigy, he was simultaneously turning heads on the skateboard scene. Professional skateboarder Tony Hawk scouted the nine-year-old at a local skatepark and mentored the up-and-comer, helping Shaun turn pro in skateboarding at the age of 17. In 2003, he became the first athlete ever to compete and medal in both the Summer and Winter X Games.

By the time he won his first Olympic gold medal in snowboarding at 19, he was a household name, matching his intensity on the board with an effortlessly magnetic presence that landed him on the cover of Rolling Stone twice. White won back-to-back gold at the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics, a gold medal in the 2018 Winter Olympics, and holds the X Games record for gold medals and highest overall medal count (23). He’s also won 10 ESPY awards for Best Male Action Sports Athlete and Best Male U.S. Olympic Athlete.

Off the board, Shaun has achieved major accomplishments in the business world as well. He has been a valuable brand ambassador for Burton Snowboards, Oakley Inc., Red Bull, Ubisoft, Hewlett-Packard and many more. His clothing lines for Target and Macy’s have been a massive success. He also earned the number two spot on Bloomberg BusinessWeek’s list of 100 Most Powerful and Marketable Athletes and was ranked 10th among athletes on the Forbes Fab 40: The World’s Most Valuable Sports Brands.

White is an active supporter of many charitable causes, including St. Jude Children’s Research Center, Target House, Boys and Girls Clubs, the Tony Hawk Foundation and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, where he has personally granted 17 wishes. Shaun White is an inspiration around the world and a prime example of a talented kid who turned his athleticism into an empire.

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