THE TRICKY BREAKAWAY OF PHIL WIZARD

He recently deactivated the Patreon that helped him scrape together enough to get by. Now he’s a somewhat reluctant) global ambassador for a new Olympic sport.

- DEXTER THOMAS

PHILIP KIM knows what you're thinking: Breakdancing? At the Olympics? That's not even a sport.

He agrees with you, mostly. He just prefers you call it by its proper name: Breakdancing is something only outsiders say. Those who know call it breaking. But Kim, who is better known as Phil Wizard, is pragmatic enough to know that "breakdancing" is better for SEO. He usually doesn't bother to correct people.

So, let's be proper: Kim is the top-ranked B-boy in the world and a favorite to bring home the gold for his home country of Canada. This has made him a hot commodity for every press outlet in the country, and he admits the pressure is getting to him. And the interviews all seem to follow a pattern: How'd you get your name? What's your best move? Is breaking a sport? Then they ask him to do a couple tricks for the camera. Kim knows I've flown to Toronto to make him do it all again for probably the fifth time this week, but he doesn't seem to mind.

If it's good for the culture, he's down.