Arguably one of the greatest snowboarders of all time, Chloe Kim has already decided when she’s going to retire. Despite being only 25 and still at her peak, Kim told Sports Illustrated that she has been thinking about that for a long time and has picked the date as well. It was a shocking revelation before the 2026 Winter Olympics, but not quite as shocking as what she did for her parents.

The American was introduced to the sport at age 4, and by 13, she had secured a six-figure sponsorship contract that would change her life. Not just hers, apparently, as Kim revealed on the ‘Not Skinny But Not Fat’ podcast, that it changed her parents’ lives as well.

“Yeah, so I, um, also my parents don’t work,” Kim said on the podcast. “Like, I was able to retire both of them- … but it’s when I was 15. So, like, it’s been chilling.”

The host, Amanda Hirsch, was shellshocked by the revelation, like most would be. So, she had to confirm and ask Kim if she did it when she was 15. The three-time Winter Olympic medalist confirmed that and then went on to talk about how her father had left his job when she was 7. That came after Kim had won her first contest as a snowboarder, at the age of 6, and then a junior nationals a year later.

Following that and inspired by Soko Yamaoka, her father, Jong Jin Kim, believed that his daughter could do something similar and reach the Olympics. That led to him quitting his job and driving his young daughter across the United States to help achieve what had become their dreams.

And it clearly worked wonders as Kim earned a spot on the U.S. Women’s Olympic Halfpipe Team for 2014. However, as she was only 13 years old then, she couldn’t compete in Sochi because of the Olympics’ rules and regulations.

That didn’t matter for other events, as she kept performing in X-Games and eventually earned a six-figure sponsorship at the age of 13. That, and back-to-back X-Games gold medals, is what helped Chloe Kim retire her parents by age 15.

“Ooh, big sponsor?” Kim said when asked about what that meant to the family. “My first big sponsor was with Monster Energy at 13, I’m still with them, and that contract changed my life… Yeah, it was six figures…I retired my parents when I became a millionaire.”

Hirsch had to confirm the details again, mainly because she was, naturally, shocked at the fact that a 15-year-old had managed to retire her parents. But Kim gleefully reiterated the facts and confirmed it.

“Yeah. Why not?” Kim added. “I mean, it’s such a honor and a privilege to do that for my parents. Like, they took such a big risk on me.”

Chloe Kim’s net worth hit $10 million as of February 2026, up a massive $8 million from last year, says Celebrity Net Worth. She’s stacked with accolades, sure, but the real fuel comes from national governing bodies, sponsors, and donor programs, not just your typical paycheck.

Global giants like Nike, Monster Energy, Mountain Dew, Breitling, Moncler, Kellogg’s, Visa, Target, Beats by Dre, and Toyota continue to support her. They’re bringing in about $4 million a year now, making her as much a business boss as a halfpipe legend. But how does she really feel about stepping up to support her parents?

Chloe Kim opens up on being financially responsible for her parents

However, the pressure of being financially responsible for her family eventually took its toll. That was evident during Chloe Kim’s performance at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. The then 21-year-old fell short in her last two of her three runs in the final but still won the gold thanks to her first run.

She would go on to admit to having doubts in the post-run press conference, but didn’t properly deal with it, as she admitted to SI. However, things changed for the American in 2024 when she fully committed to her mental health and therapy.

“The minute you don’t let a kid be a kid, that’s when they’re not gonna be happy,” Kim told SI. “The minute I started feeling more responsible financially for my family and whatnot, that’s kind of when the pressure started to build.

“When it started to become rewarding, and I started to be on programs and win all these medals, it got even more extreme. I was like, O.K., well, I have to do all these things.”

It changed everything for her and helped Chloe Kim deal with the pressure of performing at the highest level. So much so that the 25-year-old became the first woman to land a double cork 1080 in a snowboard halfpipe competition in 2025. Not only that, she went on to win the Olympic silver at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games despite dislocating her shoulder before the Games.

What’s next for her? Only time will tell, but given her decision on her potential retirement, time is running out to watch Chloe Kim break records and do almost impossible feats on a snowboard.