Shaun White

Shaun White is one of the most accomplished American athletes of all time. The California native is best known for his skill as a snowboarder, which includes winning three Olympic gold medals in the halfpipe. 

From 2002-13, White won 18 Winter X Games medals (13 gold) between the superpipe and slopestyle. He also won five medals in the vert as a skateboarder during the Summer X Games. 

As White continues to prepare himself for a potential return to the Winter Olympics in 2022, the 33-year-old took time from his schedule for a B/R AMA to answer fan questions about a variety of topics, including Tony Hawk, sports GOATs and much more. 

The following is the full transcript from the AMA session.   

    

@just_in_time: What was the most valuable thing Tony Hawk taught you as a mentor?

Tony never really sat me down and said you should do this or do that. He was always leading by example. It was just so awesome to be around somebody gaining this level of success, going through things I was just about to go through myself. People approaching him at dinner, he's trying to eat...but he stayed true to who he was. I remember we were in a limo heading to a concert, and the driver said oh my gosh I'm so sorry it's not fresh ice. Tony was like, what are you talking about...I'll eat this dirty ice! I used to sleep on the floor in my buddy's house so we could skate. He was still the same guy through and through. It was the little things I'd pick up along the way, staying true to who you are. I pack my bags, I pick up after my dog, not much has changed too dramatically in my life. I could get a slew of people around me to do the mundane things in my life, but i like the feeling of being normal and doing normal things. I just don't feel like through the fame and success and media pressure, I feel like I've stayed the same. I learned that from Tony at that time.

We were doing an interview together and every single time this question would pop up, so what do you think about shaun white being the next Tony Hawk? And he'd say, I think that's terrible. I was like, what do you mean? I wanna be my idol. He said, I don't think anyone should be the next Tony Hawk. I think Shaun White should be Shaun White...he was very wise in those situations, very inspiring. He set me on my own path.

     

@lucasgottshall: Favorite "behind the scenes" moment at the Olympics?

There was this guy at the olympics that owned a restaurant nearby and he had named one of his burgers the shaun white burger. I went in there to get the burger, cause obviously, you gotta try your own burger. On the menu it said only available for shaun white, and people were messaging me this photo. So i go in there, the guy loses it, he's so excited. I have the burger, and it was pretty good. And then during the thing I read below, it said there's two meat patties in this burger, and he hopes to win a third if i win my third medal...it came with two chicken wings, oddly enough because i fly a lot through the air, it was very involved. I win the medal, i come back to the restaurant, and he burst into tears. I put the medal on him, he made me a triple stack burger.

    

@beneg92: How do you deal with the intense pressure of competing at such high stakes competitions like the Olympics?

Luck favors the prepared, so obviously a lot of prep goes into it. by the time i get there, it's more about relaxing and just letting all that prep take over and you just do what you do. You've already learned the routine, you know the tricks, you just have to let it happen. More than 50% of it is the mental game, letting go and letting it happen...the olympics is one of those where nothing can really prepare you for that, you just have to get there and figure it out for yourself. I feel like when I do get back to the olympics, I have a leg up on the competition who are there for the first time.

     

@just_in_time: Do you belong on the Mt. Rushmore of athletic GOATs? If not, who do you put up there?

I'm not a self promoter, so i don't know if I'd put myself in there. Part of being a competitor, you always think you can do better, like a musician leaving the studio, it's not done. You want to keep growing and continuing to do more. I'm proud of what I've done but... I'd say Ali, Jordan, Tiger Woods, and then myself. Just fill it out.

     

@Steve_Perrault: What do you remember from the CNN interview where you said "I'm talking about Mountain Dew, baby!" That was hilarious.

It was so funny because I had been doing these back-to-back interviews and I didn't realize this until after the Olympics that it's just this giant media tour. They fly you around, you do interviews all over the world. I'm attending fashion shows in Milan, it's nuts. They throw me on CNN and I think I had been watching a lot of Dave Chappelle at that point. The host, I think her name was Robin, was just like "What are you talking about?" Because I was mentioning I had been flying around and people were excited to have me on the plane so they were like "Whatever you want! Like, how many snack packs do you want, we'll bring them all out." I was getting the real royal treatment. She tried to act like I was getting served alcohol and I was like what are you talking about. I think I was actually talking about Mountain Dews at the time, everybody thinks I was talking about drinking but I really was talking about Mountain Dews, baby. I was 19 and so serious about competing so I was definitely talking about Mountain Dew and they were a sponsor of mine. Whoever Mr. Mountain Dew was at home must have been like "Yes!"

      

What is your favorite moment of your career?

That's tough. I would say either this last olympics because it was such a victorious comeback for me since I lost the one before and got injured and went through all this crazy stuff...but I would honestly say my first olympics. I was 19, had no idea what I was in store for. Everything was so fresh and new and fun. I was thinking to myself, how cool would it be to win the olympics. My brain could only grasp that, how very cool it'd be. afterward I remember sliding down to the finish area, I knew I had won and i'm thinking oh this is cool, and I pull up and my whole family is there in the front row. And they're all crying. and you can't help it, you know, when your dad is crying? So I start getting emotional, and my mom leaned into me, crying into my shoulder saying "you'll forever be shaun white olympic gold medalist. This title will live forever." I was awestruck by that. It meant a lot to me that everybody was there, freaking out and crying. There was so much it took to get to that place. Snowboarding was an unappealing sport for a long time.

     

@brandtgray2: Who inspired you to snowboard?

That inspiration came from my brother. He was always doing the newest and coolest things. He's seven years older than me...one day he said I'm gonna do this thing called snowboarding. I was like, I gotta do what he's doing.

     

@HomerJaySimpson: What type of music do you listen to?

It's all over. I love oldies...James Brown, Al Green. But I found a love for classic rock and rock music from playing instruments. I play guitar, I'm learning piano currently. And man I love hip hop too. I'm kind of the all genre kind of thing.

      

@AthletesOfChrist: What's your favorite place to snowboard?

Mammoth mountain. I love it up there. It's so close to my home. There's cool stuff around the mountain too, you can go out to these natural hot springs in the middle of the wilderness.

     

@adavis68: What were you feeling after you won your first gold medal?

It was seeing the family and then honestly I didn't really believe it until the next day. Because you're thrust into this thing that's like...when you're going to the airport and it's the switch backs of rope extensions that you have to walk through. There's no one in the line but you still have to walk through this corral, they have one of those but on each side of that it's littered with camera crews from around the world. You win, they throw flowers in your hand, i think they play the anthem and things...and then you walk through this corral. They're like, you're live in Sweden! Everywhere you can think of in the world, you're live all of a sudden...i was up until at least 3 or 4 in the morning doing interviews...i didn't believe until i woke up and saw the medal on the dresser next to me. That was the craziest thing, the disbelief of it all.

     

@jack_penny: Why did you cut your hair?

Great question. We got to a point where I'd lived so long with this long hair and i was ready for a change. I went to this event in las vegas, and do you know who carrot top is? So man. I run into the Carrot, and he's just like, talking to me and we're talking about our hair...and he basically looked at me, like you could see into his soul, and was like I'm kind of stuck like this, this is my life...and it was like seeing the ghost of christmas future...like omg, there's still time, i can change. So i get home, and i don't wanna just lob it off for no reason...i realized i could donate my hair and they make wigs out of it for children undergoing certain illnesses, so i ended up donating my hair and making a video out of it and posting it on the internet. 

    

@SportsCentral: If you could play any other sport what would it be and why?

Probably surfing. Cause boards and I get along. I'm named shaun after Shaun Tomson, professional South African surfer. Basically, loved surfing a little bit but not as much as my dad did. He always wanted me to be a pro surfer. There are moments where I'm standing on top of the mountain and I'm freezing...I'm a Southern California kid and I get to the mountain, and I'm freezing. And I look at my phone and Kelly Slater just posted from Fiji...obviously I've grown to love the mountains throughout my profession, but yeah, surfing. After that, soccer. I love soccer.

     

@vic4life_: Hardest trick to do?

Double flip 1440s, 1440 just describing the degrees of rotation. So spinning that much while doing two flips on a halfpipe is one of the biggest tricks right now. So yea, I would stick with that.

      

@Coco9: What was the worst injury you've had snowboarding?

Probably my face. I was in New Zealand a month or two before the Olympic qualifying started. I'm having the best day ever, they're pumping classic rock at the halfpipe, Dan Bilzerian just helicoptered in with a bunch of beautiful women, epic day. I clipped the top of the halfpipe and then bounced 22 feet to the bottom and just bashed my face into some ice chunks or something. Next thing I know the blood is pouring down my face. Hospital is a very loose term down in New Zealand so they helicoptered me to this other town to get put back together. That was probably the most mentally jarring because it was my face. Trying to eat soup or cereal through the stitches just sucked.

     

@ChickfilAisbetta: Chick-fil-A or Popeyes?

Oh my god. Probably chick-fil-A. I'm kind of an in-n-out guy, but chick-fil-A.

     

@Crazy_Dingus: Your thoughts on pineapple on pizza?

I'm a fan. I'm not mad at it. What's the debate, that it shouldn't be there? Lean into it, get tropical.

      

White was planning to compete for a spot in skateboarding at the 2020 Olympics but announced in March he decided to focus all of his efforts on snowboarding for the 2022 Games. 

If White qualifies for the 2022 Winter Olympics, it will mark his fifth consecutive appearance in the Games. 

The extreme sports athlete of the generation has been knocked down a peg in the history books.

Snowboarder Mark McMorris earned his 19th career Winter X Games medal Saturday, topping Shaun White's longtime record.

.@markmcmorris makes #XGames history earning his 19th career medal passing Shaun White's longstanding record for most winter medals at X Games. pic.twitter.com/EQxBIMnda2

— X Games (@XGames) March 7, 2020

McMorris, 26, won gold in the men's snowboard big air competition Saturday at the Games in Norway, finishing ahead of Max Parrot and Darcy Sharpe. The Canadian captured a silver medal in the big air event in Aspen in January.

That he's still competing at all is a marvel. McMorris suffered significant injuries after crashing into a tree while snowboarding with his brother and friends near Whistler, British Columbia, in 2017, resulting in fractures to his jaw, pelvis, ribs and left arm as well as a ruptured spleen and collapsed left lung. The recovery required two surgeries.

Less than a year later, McMorris won his second Winter Olympics bronze medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games in the men's slopestyle event.

At the X Games, he's totaled nine gold medals, seven silvers and three bronzes—finishing on the podium every year since 2011.

White still holds the career X Games medal record with 23 podium finishes across the Summer and Winter Games.

Shaun White saw his run at the 2019 World Skateboarding Championships end in the semifinal round Saturday in Sao Paulo, Brazil. 

The 33-year-old finished 13th among 20 remaining skaters. Only the top eight moved on to Sunday's final, and White missed the cut by 1.5 points with a score of 82.00, according to TeamUSA.org. He was competing to gauge where he stood among the world's best skaters ahead of skateboarding's Olympic debut next summer in Tokyo.

"This will be the deciding event," White told SporTV following Thursday's qualifying round. "I basically told myself I'd go here and give it everything I have, and then, after this competition, see how I stack up with the other skaters and then make the decision to fully commit to the Olympics."

White also admitted that "it's been difficult" to translate the tricks he has mastered on vert (halfpipe) ramps to the bowl for park skating, which is necessary because the only two featured Olympic skateboarding events are park and street for both men and women. 

While White has earned five medals (two gold, two silver, one bronze) as a skateboarder at the X Games, he competed in vert and hasn't participated since 2011. Should he first decide to try for Tokyo and then qualify, it would be his fifth trip to the Olympics but first as a skateboarder.

Along with the competitors in Sao Paulo, White was previously seen sharpening his skating skills with the legendary Tony Hawk:

Stop what you're doing and watch the two legends @tonyhawk and @shaunwhite team up. 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/iiyOWvtmvT

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) August 1, 2019

White became a household name as an Olympic snowboarder. He has competed in snowboarding in four Olympics (2006, '10, '14, '18) and notched three gold medals—all in halfpipe.    

Shaun White did just enough in the quarterfinals of the men's park event at the 2019 World Skateboarding Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Friday to qualify for Saturday's semifinals.

With a score of 80.00, White finished 16th among the 32 competitors, making him one of 17 skateboarders to reach the semis.

Here is a rundown of the top 17 finishers from the quarterfinal round with full results available at WorldSkate.org:

1. Thomas Schaar (USA): 87.00
2. Keegan Palmer (AUS): 86.50
3. Murilo Peres (BRA): 86.00
4. Mateus Hiroshi (BRA): 85.50
5. Tristan Rennie (USA): 84.67
6. Tate Carew (USA): 84.30
7. Oskar Rozenberg Hallberg (SWE): 84.00
8. Alessandro Mazzara (ITA): 83.50
9. Liam Pace (USA): 83.00
10. Alex Sorgente (USA): 82.80
11. Ayumu Hirano (JPN): 82.70
12. Tyler Edtmayer (GER): 82.50
13. Steven Yancy Pinero (PRI): 82.20
14. Pedro Quintas (BRA): 82.15
15. Kieran Woolley (AUS): 82.00
16. Shaun White (USA): 80.00
17. Ivan Federico (ITA): 79.50

The United States' six semifinal qualifiers were the most of any country, while host nation Brazil was second with three.

White took a slight step back after finishing 13th in the open qualifiers Thursday, but he will still have a chance to compete in Sunday's final if he can finish inside the top eight Saturday.

With a good finish in Brazil, White can improve his spot in the world rankings in hopes of qualifying for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where park and street skateboarding will make their Olympic debuts.

White, 33, is best known for his excellence in snowboarding as the three-time Olympic gold medalist in the halfpipe, most recently talking gold at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

He also has plenty of experience in skateboarding, though, including five X Games medals. White has won two golds, two silvers and one bronze in the vert, although vert will not be part of the Olympic program.

Instead, White has transitioned to park in hopes of becoming part of a small and elite class of athletes who have competed in both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

While switching disciplines is a major challenge, White told Olympic.org in February that it added to the enjoyment:

"It's a different type of skating [in Tokyo] to what I did previously, which was vert skating, the big ramps. Now I'm doing bowl skating which is rad, it’s so much fun.

"I don't think I'd have the same enthusiasm if it was vert. Vert is a similar mentality to halfpipe, skating bowl is more like slopestyle, so there's some variety. Every park you show up to is totally different, there's a new line, something to be sought out."

It isn't often that White is lacking in terms of experience against his competition, but that has been the case in Brazil. Even so, he finds himself one step away from the finals.

White is undoubtedly an underdog given where he finished in the qualifiers and quarterfinals, but finishing in the top eight Saturday would give him a big boost in his quest to make the 2020 Summer Olympics as a skateboarder.

Shaun White is one skate closer to qualifying for the 2020 Olympics as skateboarding makes its Olympic debut in Tokyo.

The 33-year-old is in Sao Paulo, Brazil, competing in the World Skateboarding Championships. Thursday, White placed 13th among 72 riders in the Men's Open Qualifiers with a score of 77.37. 

ayumuhirano1129 and I both made it through open qualifiers today!! Stoked to see a fellow snowboarder out here skating in Brazil. One round down, two more to go before finals stay tuned. #skateboarding pic.twitter.com/f1tJJqapnx

— Shaun White (@shaunwhite) September 13, 2019

The top 19 skaters advanced to the quarterfinal. Below is a peek at the top 20:

    

Men's Open Qualifiers Results

1. Thomas Schaar, USA: 84.45

2. Edouard Damestoy, France: 82.33

3. Liam Pace, USA: 80.01

4. Pedro Carvalho, Brazil: 80.00

5. Ayumu Hirano, Japan: 79.50

6. Matheus Mello, Brazil: 79.30

7. Steven Yancy Pinero, Puerto Rico: 79.27

8. Tyler Edtmayer, Germany: 79.07

9. Mateus Hiroshi, Brazil: 78.00

10. Andy Anderson, Canada: 77.72

11. Kevin Kowalski, USA: 77.70

12. Oskar Rozenberg Hallberg, Sweden: 77.63

13. Shaun White, USA: 77.37

14. Adam Hopkins, Canada: 77.14

15. Kieran Woolley, Australia: 76.32

16. Italo Penarrubia, Brazil: 76.00

17. Luigi Cini, Brazil: 75.30

18. Zion Wright, USA: 75.11

19. Gavin Rune Bottger, USA: 75.00

20. Augusto Akio, Brazil: 74.75

For full results, visit WorldSkate.org.

     

White is already a decorated Olympian in snowboarding, legendary in the halfpipe and a three-time gold medalist.

As a skateboarder, White has competed in vert (halfpipe) at the X Games and medaled five times (two gold, two silver, one bronze).

However, vert won't be an event at the Olympics; rather, men's and women's park and street will be featured. Earlier Thursday, Time Brasil provided a glimpse into how White is transitioning into park-style skating:

LENDA NO BRASIL!

Tricampeão olímpico do snowboard, o americano @shaunwhite está no Brasil buscando pontos para os @JogosOlimpicos @Tokyo2020! Será que dá pra ele se classificar no 🛹? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/oKuJT5vZVk

— Time Brasil (@timebrasil) September 12, 2019

In July, White disclosed on TODAY that he intended to participate in the World Skateboarding Championships.

"It's such a big decision," White continued when asked about Tokyo. "I've been having so much fun just skating around, and I got so inspired. I was like, 'Why don't I just compete a little and see what happens?' So after that, I'll probably make the big announcement what I'm gonna do."

Back in February 2018, at the PyeongChang Olympics, White told reporters "it would mean the world to me" to compete at the Olympics as a skateboarder while still keeping the door open to return as a snowboarder at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

In the immediate future, though, White just has to focus on Friday's quarterfinals. The competition's full schedule can be viewed here.

Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson edged Manchester United forward Alexis Sanchez as the most-searched trending athlete on Google in 2018.

Sanchez and Thompson, the latter of whom attracts attention as the boyfriend of celebrity Khloe Kardashian in addition to his status as an NBA player, were joined by Olympic athletes Lindsey Vonn and Shaun White as well as UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov in the search engine's top five this year.

The 27-year-old Thompson and Kardashian had their first child together, daughter True Thompson, on April 12. The 2016 NBA champion also has a son with ex-girlfriend Jordan Craig.

Thompson and Kardashian's daughter was born two days after TMZ Sports reported Thompson was caught cheating on the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star with two women last October.

Interest surrounding the gossip and rumors, the couple's child and the Cavaliers' trip to the 2018 NBA Finals made Thompson the unlikely most-searched athlete.

Meanwhile, Sanchez completed a high-profile transfer from Arsenal to English Premier League rival Manchester United in January.

After developing into one of the world's most prominent forwards during stints with Arsenal and Barcelona, Sanchez has struggled to replicate that success at Old Trafford. He's tallied just four goals across 30 appearances in all competitions for the storied club.

His lackluster production for the Red Devils has sparked another round of transfer speculation, which likely helped push Sanchez toward the top of the Google list.

The company explained its list is compiled by ranking which search terms saw "the highest spike this year as compared to the previous year."

Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard, rising tennis star Naomi Osaka, Barca winger Philippe Coutinho, MMA sensation Conor McGregor and Tottenham striker Harry Kane rounded out the top 10.

Sometimes it's better for certain movie characters to stay on the silver screen.

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White drew a stern rebuke from a Special Olympics representative after he dressed like Simple Jack from the 2008 film Tropic Thunder.

"We are truly disappointed that Shaun White, an acclaimed Olympian, would choose this costume, which is so offensive and causes so much pain," the rep said in a statement to TMZ Sports. "Disability is not a joke, nor should it be a punchline. We hope that Shaun White and others learn that this just continues stigma, stereotypes and discrimination."

HuffPost Sports shared a picture of the costume in question:

Snowboarder Shaun White chose an unfortunate Halloween costume this year. https://t.co/8zoqOxTRLW pic.twitter.com/aUX1k7REao

— HuffPost Sports (@HuffPostSports) October 29, 2018

The Simple Jack character had intellectual disabilities and was the titular focus of a satirical fake film within Tropic Thunder. At the time, the movie and director Ben Stiller received criticism for the inclusion of Simple Jack and the use of the R-word in the script.

TMZ Sports stated it attempted to get a statement from White's agent about his costume and had not received a response.

The biggest and brightest stars in sports were honored at the 2018 ESPY Awards in Los Angeles on Wednesday night.

Washington Capitals winger Alexander Ovechkin and United States Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim headlined the proceedings by winning Male and Female Athlete of the Year, respectively, while the Houston Astros were named the year's best team.

Here's a look at the highlights from a powerful evening at the Microsoft Theater.

   

ESPY Winners

Best Male Athlete: Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

Best Female Athlete: Chloe Kim, U.S. Snowboarder

Best Team: Houston Astros

Best Play: Arike Ogunbowale's Title Game Buzzer-Beater

Best Coach: Aaron Feis, Scott Beigel and Chris Hixon, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

Best Moment: The Minnesota Miracle (Stefon Diggs' Game-Winning TD vs. Saints)

Best Game: U.S. Women's Olympic Hockey Team defeats Canada at 2018 Winter Olympics

Best Breakthrough Athlete: Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz

Best Championship Performance: Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles

Arthur Ashe Courage Award: Survivors of Larry Nassar Sexual Abuse

Jimmy V Award: Jim Kelly

Pat Tillman Award for Service: Sgt. Jake Wood

Best Olympic Moment: Shaun White's Halfpipe Gold Medal

Best College Athlete: Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma

Best Female Action Sports Athlete: Chloe Kim

Best Female Olympian: Chloe Kim

Best Male Olympian: Shaun White

Best Fighter: Terence Crawford

Best Record-Breaking Performance: Roger Federer

Best NFL Player: Tom Brady, New England Patriots

Best MLB Player: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels

Best NBA Player: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers

Best WNBA Player: Maya Moore, Minnesota Lynx

Best NHL Player: Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

Best International Men's Soccer Player: Cristiano Ronaldo

Best International Women's Soccer Player: Sam Kerr

Best Driver: Martin Truex Jr.

Best Male Golfer: Jordan Spieth

Best Female Golfer: Sung-Hyun Park

Best Male Tennis Player: Roger Federer

Best Female Tennis Player: Sloane Stephens

Best Male Action Sports Athlete: David Wise

Best Jockey: Jose Ortiz

Best Male Athlete With a Disability: Mike Schultz, Snowboarding

Best Female Athlete With a Disability: Brenna Huckaby, Snowboarding

Best Bowler: Rhino Page

Best MLS Player: Nemanja Nikolic, Chicago Fire

Best NWSL Player: Megan Rapinoe, Seattle Reign

   

Recap and Top Moments

The evening's most powerful moment came during the presentation of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, which was presented to the survivors of Larry Nassar's sexual abuse.

Larry Nassar survivor before receiving this year's Arthur Ashe Courage award alongside sister survivors: “If we have to walk this journey to make sure that no other little girl has to walk this journey, then that's exactly what we're going to do.” https://t.co/T3gtmmd6PF #ESPYS pic.twitter.com/Ua4q0ndhSU

— Good Morning America (@GMA) July 19, 2018

In total, 141 women were present to accept the award as representatives for all the survivors of the former Michigan State and USA Gymnastics doctor's abuse. They received a standing ovation.

Courage. pic.twitter.com/ke54x0osth

— espnW (@espnW) July 19, 2018

Former gymnast Sarah Klein shares her message of hope to her sister survivors. #ESPYS pic.twitter.com/C3haNrkhS9

— ESPYS (@ESPYS) July 19, 2018

"If we choose to listen and we choose to act with empathy, we can draw strength from each other," U.S. gymnast Aly Raisman said. "We may suffer alone, but we survive together."

.@aly_raisman bravely reads out all the years during which women reported Larry Nassar's abuse: "To all the survivors out there, don't let anyone rewrite your story. Your truth does matter. You matter and you are not alone." https://t.co/SrcAMqxyM8 #ESPYS pic.twitter.com/jvooBvHRf4

— Good Morning America (@GMA) July 19, 2018

Former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly was also among the honorees as he received the Jimmy V Perseverance Award.

Kelly, 58, was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in 2013 and has undergone several surgeries since then. Kelly was declared cancer-free in 2014, but he announced in March that the disease had returned.

"I will never give up. I will keep fighting til the end. Get up, you'll be alright."

As we honor Jim Kelly with the Jimmy V Award, consider donating to @TheVFoundation: https://t.co/6NwFh2XdEK pic.twitter.com/SnohcxEpN6

— ESPN (@espn) July 19, 2018

Speaking to those in attendance at the Microsoft Theater, Kelly emphasized that he will continue to live his life to the fullest.

"I always get thrown another curveball," Kelly said. "It's to see how I react. I've been through a lot in my life: good days, bad days, heartbreak. But it doesn't matter. I will never give up."

Kelly also provided some lasting and inspirational words before leaving the stage.

"Make a difference today for someone who is fighting for their tomorrow," he said.

.@JimKelly1212 honored with the well-deserved Award for Perseverance. "Never, ever give up." #KellyStrong pic.twitter.com/4jFgUPQp51

— Good Morning America (@GMA) July 19, 2018

Wednesday's ceremony also highlighted the courage of all three Best Coach winners, Aaron Feis, Scott Beigel and Chris Hixon, who were killed in February's shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Aaron Feis, Scott Beigel and Chris Hixon of Stoneman Douglas High School were more than just coaches.

They were heroes. pic.twitter.com/xag1iuggjI

— ESPN (@espn) July 19, 2018

This year's Best Coach Award is posthumously given to Aaron Feis, Scott Beigel and Chris Hixon - the 3 coaches who died protecting students from gunfire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. https://t.co/T3gtmmd6PF #ESPYS pic.twitter.com/MzPhYxXZpQ

— Good Morning America (@GMA) July 19, 2018

"It's not a political issue," MSD football coach Elliot Bonner said of gun violence upon accepting the posthumous award. "It's a human issue. Lives were lost that didn't have to be."

The 2018 Winter Olympics come to an end Sunday with the closing ceremony from Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium in South Korea. By the time the flame is extinguished, more than 100 gold medals will have been awarded in a myriad of disciplines across 15 sports.

Sunday's event is entitled "The Next Wave" and will "focus on the human spirit of perseverance," according to the Games' official website. It's a chance for the host nation to look toward a bright future after a peaceful Olympic experience, which began with concerns about tensions with North Korea.

Let's check out all of the important details for watching the showcase. That's followed by a look back at how the United States athletes performed in Pyeongchang.

              

Viewing Information

Live Coverage

When: Sunday, Feb. 25 at 6 a.m. ET

Live Stream: NBC Olympics

                        

TV Coverage (Tape Delay)

When: Sunday, Feb. 25 at 8 p.m. ET

Watch: NBC

                     

U.S. Olympic Review

It won't go down as a banner year for the United States Olympic team. The Americans quickly fell behind the likes of Norway, Canada and Germany in the overall medal count and could never catch up.

That said, there were still several individual performances worthy of praise in Pyeongchang, including some from new stalwarts who will likely get a chance to shine again at the 2022 Beijing Games.

Chloe Kim lived up to the immense hype by winning gold in the women's halfpipe. The 17-year-old sensation had already dominated the Winter Youth Olympics and the X Games in recent years, but she became a household name with her triumph on snowboarding's biggest stage.

Bryan Armen Graham of the Guardian passed along comments from the California native about getting the chance to perform for a global audience:

"This whole experience has been insane. You hear so much about the Olympics, but actually being a part of it is a completely different story. I am so fortunate to be able to go through it. To share my story with the world has been amazing."

Mikaela Shiffrin didn't dominate the Olympics as expected given her success on the World Cup circuit, including a disappointing fourth-place result in the slalom. Some of that was out of her control, however, as weather delays compacted her schedule and caused her to drop out of the Super-G and downhill.

She posted a message on social media after opting against trying to sweep the five medal events:

But after 5 days of schedule changes and waiting to race, and with no day between those races to recharge, I wasn’t able to manage it. And you know what? I wouldn’t change that for the world. For me the Olympics is about showing heart and passion as much as it is about medals.

— Mikaela Shiffrin ⛷️ (@MikaelaShiffrin) February 17, 2018

The Colorado native still took home gold in the giant slalom and silver in the combined, though. And, at age 22, she'll have another chance for her Olympic takeover in China four years from now.

Then there's Shaun White. The snowboarder won gold in the halfpipe in 2006 and 2010 but missed the podium four years ago, raising questions about whether his reign atop the sport was over.

Not so fast. He laid down a nearly perfect final run in the championship round to take home his third Olympic gold medal in the event.

NBC Olympics highlighted his emotional celebration:

We're not crying, you're crying. #WinterOlympics #BestOfUS pic.twitter.com/nCc69b6VvN

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 14, 2018

Fellow snowboarders Jamie Anderson and Redmond Gerard, women's cross-country skiers Jessica Diggins and Kikkan Randall, freestyle skier David Wise as well as the women's ice hockey team and the men's curling team also won gold medals for the U.S.

So, while the United States didn't contend atop the medal table as a whole, many American athletes still earned their moment in the spotlight in South Korea over the past couple weeks.