Inspiration can come from anywhere, and Dwyane Wade‘s friendship with Lindsey Vonn is a testament to that. The NBA veteran has a great bond with Vonn who is an acclaimed 2x alpine skiing world champion. The 39-year-old recently made an appearance on the Miami Heat legend’s podcast.

D Wade couldn’t hide his excitement over getting a chance to sit down for a conversation with someone who he considers GOAT in her own world.

When asked about how this friendship happened, Wade said, “Just being in certain environments over the years, whether its ESPY Awards or whether its any award show or anywhere where all athletes you know kind of meet in certain spaces. You have certain people that you look at their greatness or what they accomplished and you’re a fan.” The Heat legend said that he naturally gravitates toward people who have done exceedingly well in whatever field of work they came from, and Vonn is one such person. He also bonded over the shared struggles of an athlete.

He said, “If you…get a chance to understand the injuries that Lindsey Vonn has overcame on live TV, in front of the entire world, that built my fandom with her because I know how tough it is to comeback from a meniscus tear or ACL tear, but she came back from tearing every part.”

Dwyane Wade doesn’t take himself too serious
The NBA veteran said that if he likes or admires someone, he is comfortable in letting them know. He followed the same rule with Vonn and told her that he was a fan. He said, “We built the relationship off of two people who have overcome something and then you get to know the person.” Another factor that brought them together was that both of them are now retired and are now trying to figure out the new path of life in their post-retirement era.

Wade announced the episode on his social media by stating, “The joy of sitting down and having intimate conversations is finding out the reasons people keep pushing to innovate- their why”. Vonn responded with, “Congrats my friend! Can’t wait to see our episode.” Wade talked about this new friendship in his life extensively on his podcast. Looking at the respect and admiration they have for one another, this might go a long way.

Lindsey Vonn, the celebrated alpine ski racer, has become intimately familiar with the operating room throughout her illustrious career. Despite retiring in 2019, her health journey has been punctuated by a series of knee surgeries, each presenting its unique set of challenges. In July of that year, Vonn underwent a significant knee operation, followed by several more procedures. Fast forward to October 2023, Vonn disclosed her anticipation of yet another knee replacement surgery.

Despite encountering setbacks, Vonn’s resilience radiates brightly as she prepares for another round of rehabilitation in March. However, in a recent podcast, Vonn bravely shared the extent of her journey, revealing that she has undergone ten surgeries. Despite these challenges, Vonn has shown remarkable resilience and adaptability, gradually becoming accustomed to the process of rehabilitation and demonstrating a remarkable ability to bounce back stronger each time.

From legendary descents to surgical triumphs
In a recent episode of “The Why with Dwyane Wade,“ hosted by basketball legend Dwyane Wade, the guest Lindsey Vonn shared a pivotal moment from her career. Amidst the peak of her profession, Lindsey faced a barrage of lucrative brand offers. However, she stayed true to herself, rejecting partnerships that clashed with her values. Her banter-filled camaraderie with Wade unveiled shared experiences in retirement. Both navigating the aftermath of numerous surgeries.

The conversation delved into the ongoing struggles of maintaining physical health post-retirement, with Lindsey sharing her meticulous rehabilitation regimen. She revealed undergoing a preparation surgery a few months back, addressing osteophytes to improve knee mobility. In her words, “I need to jam my knee and bend it. I do it every day.” Lindsey Vonn also mentioned her scheduled surgery for the end of March. Highlighting the continued challenges of staying fit after years of athletic wear and tear. Her dedication to daily exercises aimed at enhancing flexibility and mobility underscored the relentless pursuit of peak physical condition. Furthermore, her pragmatic view of surgery as a necessary “tune-up” highlighted the profound trust athletes place in medical professionals. However, despite all this, she is still in love with this sport.

Lindsey Vonn’s conquering the unthinkable on the world’s toughest slopes

A few days back, Lindsey Vonn surprised fans by conquering one of the world’s most daunting skiing courses. Despite having bid farewell to her professional career years ago, she never imagined such an opportunity would arise again. Vonn’s long-standing dream became a reality ass she fearlessly navigated the downhill track. In a heartfelt post, she expressed her disbelief at skiing the treacherous slope.

Accomplishing this feat at night added an extra layer of challenge, further highlighting Vonn’s remarkable achievement. Yet, Vonn humbly acknowledged that the video only scratched the surface of the Streif’s true intensity. Despite its steepness being downplayed on screen, Vonn emphasized the awe-inspiring nature of the course.

US Olympic legend Lindsey Vonn entered the discipline of alpine skiing as a young girl who loved to ski. Today, however, she has become a holy grail in the sport whom everyone admires and wants to surpass someday. But, she didn’t enjoy this stellar support in her earlier days when she was still grasping how to ski.

In a recent podcast episode Linsey Vonn spoke about the beginning of her skiing journey and her father’s take on it. In fact, she also revealed that despite working hard in the field, her father believed another skier was more talented than her.

Who is Lindsey Vonn’s father’s favorite skier?
3x NBA Champion Dwyane Wade invited Lindsey Vonn for his podcast, “The Why with Dwyane Wade.” One of the topics the NBA Hall of Famer introduced saw the duo talking about Vonn’s sister Karin Kildow. Wade asked at what point Vonn got into skiing full time and Karin fell out, since the whole Vonn family was into skiing.

Answering this, Lindsey Vonn said, “Me and Kara are definitely on like another level competitively, you know. And so for some reason, when we moved to Colorado, she made some friends and decided that she didn’t want to race anymore.” Vonn further added, “She went back to Minnesota, hadn’t skied in like four years, and then was state champ.”

This showcases that Kildow had a huge reservoir of talent for skiing, but she chose to not pursue it. Which, according to Lindsey Vonn, is one of her regrets. Despite this, the 39-year-old also shared, “My dad likes to say that she was more talented than I was.”

While this particular remark wasn’t very pleasing for Lindsey Vonn, she noted, “I think he likes to just jab me a little bit. Like you work harder, but she’s more talented. Yeah. Yeah. But, you know, I’m here.” Despite this, her father made sure that the young Lindsey got everything she needed to outclass everyone. In fact, he also arranged for one of the greatest skiing coaches for her when she was 17.

The coach who introduced Vonn to true hard work

Speaking at the podcast, Lindsey Vonn also said that she had hit a ceiling when she was 17. When she realized she couldn’t get any better, she spoke to her father who immediately hired one of the greatest coaches for her in Monaco.

But, this wasn’t a fancy retreat, but something that would actually drill the necessary things in her to become the greatest. Lindsey Vonn revealed that her coach used to run behind her and make her crush and rebuild herself almost every day. She noted that his training methods were very grueling and devoid of breaks.

She wasn’t even allowed to have water before completing her drills. But, this led Vonn to discover her true limits, and how easily she could push them, which shattered her phase of stagnation. Moreover, she learned what true hard work really meant and developed into a gritty and resilient athlete.