Once Skateboarding was a sport of California, USA. But now it is not, rather it’s a sport that belongs to the world’s people; it’s a gigantic, billion-dollar global industry. Of course, some people regard it as a recreational activity, a work of art, a job, or a medium of transportation, too. Presently, you can have famous skateboarders throughout the whole world.
A piece of good news for the skate-lovers! Skateboarding has been included in Tokyo 2022 Olympic Games. The famous skaters from all around the world will take part there. They will represent their countries respectively. But many of you may not know well about the best and famous skateboarders of all time. Don’t worry. In this article, we are going to introduce you to Top 20 best skaters in the world.
By reading this article, you will know about the richest skateboarder, the most successful skates, various tricks of it, who can maintain the hardest tricks, releasing the most film parts, and so on. Above all, you will get everything about skateboarding and skateboarders at a glance. Let’s have a look.
Here are Top 20 Famous & Best Skateboarders of All Time
1. Rodney Mullen
Rodney Mullen is one of the most famous skateboarders of all time who has invented the Kickflip. He was born in Florida, USA on 17th August 1966, and grown-up surrounded by long stretches of smooth concrete, farmland, and dry bowls where skate was rare. He had limited space, and therefore, he had to practice doing tricks on the spot.
Similarly, Rodney Mullen has contributed a lot in the development of skating and has been one of the most important figures that many people regard him as the godfather of street skateboarding. He is not influenced by other skateboarders.
He has created new tricks and style. He has practiced in such a way that he has attained faultless ability and consistency. His hard labor brought him success in 1983 when he invented the Magic Flip. Later, it was renamed as the Kickflip.
Now the kickflip has become a clip of freestyle skateboarding. He has also invented the 360 flip, the heelflip, and other countless varieties on which the modern skateboarding is based on.
2. Paul Rodriguez
Paul Rodriguez was born in Tarzana, California, USA on 31st December, 1984. He is also familiar with his nickname that is P-Rod. He is both an actor and a street skateboarder. He has won eight medals from the competition called the X Games, among them four are gold. In 2012 in the month of July, he got his recent victory, and this competition took place in Los Angles, United States of America.
When Paul Rodriguez was eleven, his classmates gave him the nickname P-Rod. At the age of twelve, his parents gave him his first skateboard as a Christmas gift. Rodriguez saw a group of skateboarders at his new school and was fascinated by them.
In 2014, Rodriguez was placed on the store team of Netkin and started his professional skateboarding. He is undoubtedly one of the best skateboarders of all time. He is mostly famous for Golden decks and God. For his incredible board control and smooth style, he has attained success at the X Games, The Berrics, Street League, The Dew Tour, and so on.
3. Bucky Lasek
CM Bucky Lasek, an American professional rallycross driver and skateboarder, is popularly known as Bucky Lasek. CM stands for Charles Michel. He was born on 3rd December, 1972 in Baltimore village, and the city is Maryland, USA. When he was 12, he started his journey of skateboarding.
Powell Peralta noticed him at that time, and later Lasek was sponsored by Powell. In 1988, Lasek made his first video in the fourth edition of Bones Brigade video. The name of the video is Public Domain.
Lasek invented vert skateboarding, which started to lose its popularity first, but at one time it began to gain popularity when ESPN included this discipline at the X Game as a part of the competition in the middle of the 1990s. In 2009, Lasek won a skateboarding called Lasekland. It took place in the backyard of a concrete. He is regarded as one of the best skateboarders in the world.
4. Bob Burnquist
RDS Burnquist is also known as Bob Burnquist. RDS stands for Robert Dean Silva. He was born on 10 October 1976. He is both a Brazilian and American skater. He fought for Brazil every time. He managed to complete a Fakie NINE HUNDRED trick, and he was the first skateboarder who could do it then.
He gained the prestige of becoming the fifth skater in the history who successfully finished the NINE HUNDRED tricks then. He created the innovative vert tricks, and is an expert in switch stance skateboarding. Moreover, Burnquist has won 30 medals of which 14 are gold, 8 are silver, and 8 are bronze, and is the only person who has completed in every single X Games summer event.
Apart from that, he became successful to do a fifty-fifty landing into the Grand Canyon. All these things have made him one of the best skateboarders of his generation.
5. Tony Hawk
A Frank Hawk is recognized as Tony Hawk. “A” stands for Anthony. He was born on 12th May, 1968 in California, USA. He is the most famous for his landing the first-ever 900, and the THPS video game series. He became famous when he was part of the Bones Brigade.
He is one of the most famous skateboard crews in history. Hawk was the focus of attention when he became the first person to land the 900 tricks. There he spins two and a half times on board. He became the focus of attention into the public eyes after landing the 900 tricks.
Tony Hawk became more famous when a video game named Tony Hawk Pro Skater was developed. This game has brought him success, and fans are still playing it today. His fans are increasing gradually because of his occasional movie roles, regular TV work, and being a nice bloke. It is hoped that he will remain as one of the best skaters in the world.
6. Ryan Sheckler
Ryan Sheckler, familiar as Ryan Sheckler, is another one of the best skaters of all time. He was born in California, USA on 30th December 1989. He was famous for jumping almost into the mainstream and jumping huge distances.
It’s a matter of miracle that Ryan Sheckler became a professional skateboarder only at the age of nine, and still now, he remains one of the best skaters of the modern time. His famous work was to clear a 55-foot gap on Mega Ramp in 2008 and also cleared the Costco Gap as his ending part in 2013 Plan B Film Superfuture.
Ryan Sheckler has become more famous because of his MTV reality TV show named The Life of Ryan. He did this from 2007 to 2009. The show documented his personal life and the airing in the USA. It is hoped that he will remain as one of the best skater in the world.
7. Eric Koston
Eric Koston is an American skater who was born in Bangkok, Thailand on 29th April, 1975. He was grown up in San Bernardino, California, but now is settled in Los Angeles. He is featured in video game series of Tony Hawk, and the Electronic Arts, known as EA, video games Skate 2 & 3.
Eric Koston was the co-winner of Fourstar Clothing and the skatepark. At the age of eleven, he started skateboarding. Eric Koston is regarded as a hero and truly a skateboarding legend for many young skaters. He won the Tampa Pro Street twice, and a Summer X Games medalist in the park street for six times.
Now he is considered as every step constant innovator on which the modern skating is based on. People of the world who love skateboarding will remember him forever for his unforgettable success in the cutthroat contest arena and a raw street level.
Eric Koston has a passion for shoe design that has made instant classics with Laki, Nike, and ES. He is currently sponsored by Nike SB, Fourstar, Girl Skateboards, Spitfire, Independent, Oakley, Jessup Griptape, Diamond, and Skullcandy.
8. Bam Margera
Brandon Cole Margera is shortly known as Bam Margera. He was born on 28th September 1979 in Pennsylvania, USA. He is famous for his outstanding Jackass. He is the best skater of all time for his farthest-reaching, the fairest, and most impartial metric.
But you may think otherwise when you hear that the Jackass star is a professional skateboarder. From an early age, he is called by his nickname Bam Bam. However, He started skateboarding from an early age, and during the late 1990s, he became professional.
Moreover, Margera is also famous for his skateboard films, and later he cut them at a fast pace. After that, he included non-skateboarding tricks and stunts that were performed by his friends and himself. It is called the CKY Crew.
At that time, his gonzo-style videos were radical, and MTV soon noticed them. Bam Margera invented Jackass along with Johnny Knoxville and Spike Jonze. He became the breakout star when his Jackass got global success, and after this three series of it was made.
His Jackass became famous and repeated heavily both in Europe and the USA. This trick was also followed by several Jackass movies. All these successes have made Bam Margera the central figure of the skateboarding.
9. Chris Cole
Chris Cole was born on 10th March, 1982. He is a skateboarder who was professional. In 2022, he got many sponsors, such as Monster Energy, Fallen Footwear, Cult Crew, Bones bearings, Spitfire, Thunder, Kershaw Knives, Reign Skate Shop, Grizzly Griptape, GoPro, and Stance.
Chris Cole completed several different tricks, for example, “360 flip”, “Switch Frontside flip down the staircase”, and “Backside 360 Kickflip down the Carlsbad gap”. He has become an expert in “switch frontside flip”, “Backside flip”, and a “backside 360 Ollie”.
Cole was also sponsored by Zero Skateboards and Enjoi. Cole became a member of the Snow team and the G-Spot. His most important sponsors were Fallen Footwear and Zero Skateboards. Others were Axion Footwear, World Industries, Ezekiel clothing, Tensor Trucks, Enjoi, Speed Demon Bearings, eS Footwear, Circa Footwear, and Omit Apparel.
In May of 2013, Cole was nominated as a rider of the team for the Glassy brand. The name of the team was Capaldi and Cole, and this was happened perusing a bet between the professional skateboarder Mike Mo Capaldi and Cole. They were his teammates in the team of the DC Shoes. Cole agreed to be a part of the team called Glassy after losing any contest against Capaldi. On 18 May, 2013, they took part in the competition named the Berrics 6, and Capaldi was the winner of the contest.
10. Andrew Reynolds
Andrew Reynolds, a professional skateboarder, was born in Lakeland, Florida, USA on 6 June, 1978. At the age of 9, he started skateboarding, and became professional in the 1990s, and it was the very beginning of the year. Not only that he is the originator of Altamont Apparel and Baker Skateboards. He was called over Florida, and there, at the age of nine, he started skating. He and his friends were inspired by the videos of Old Powell, and they started doing wall rides and skating lunch ramps.
After that, Andrew Reynolds was given irregular fun for him by the Skatepark of Tampa. In 1995, he became professional for Birdhouse and won 1st place twice at the contests. Over the years, he has done well in all his contests, but now he doesn’t like to enter in contest much.
In 1997, Andrew made a movie named “From Florida to Huntington Beach”. Early in his career, he enjoyed California’s clubs and bars with his some fellows namely Erik Ellington, Jim Greco, Robin Mukerjee, Ali Boulala, Kieran Davis, and Dustin Dollin. They called them “The Piss Drunks”. This dark life put negative pressure on his career.
Later, Andrew has owned a Condo at Lakeland, Florida that is his hometown. He spends time between his main home situated in Los Angeles and there with his daughter Stella and wife Christianna. In 1999, he began Baker, and his partners were Jay Strickland and Blitz Distribution, a company created by Birdhouse, as an investment partner.
In 2002, Reynolds bought the shares of Baker and became the owner of the whole institution. In 2005, Baker 3 video was out and became very popular in the industry instantly. In 2008, A newly made promo video named “Baker Has a Deathwish” was released, and has brought a revolutionary success for him.
11. Nyjah Huston
Nyjah Imani Huston is known as Nyjah Huston to most of the skate-lovers. He was born on 30 November, 1994, in California, USA. He is famous for winning everything. According to many measurable metrics, Nyjah Huston is the most successful skateboarder of this modern time.
Huston won 11 X Games medals including seven gold medals. In 2013, he became the skater of the year. He has made history by winning more prize money than any other skater in the world. He is regarded as the competition machine. His natural talent and part to raw brought success for him.
When a competitor shows his talent in any competition, Nyjah shows more tricks and perfection, and the judges get no option but to give him the win. By releasing video parts, Huston becomes more competitive dominance.
Huston is the most stylish skateboarder in the world, and his talent in the Fade to Black of 2014 and the Til Death of 2018 has proved that Huston can do insanely hard tricks on the biggest handrails on the planet.
12. Mark Gonzales
Mark Gonzales was born on 1 June 1968, in South Gate, California, USA. People also know him as ‘The Gonz’ and ‘Gonz’. He is at the same time a professional skater and an artist. He is regarded as the crown forge of modern skateboarding. Similarly, in December 2011, according to the “Transworld Skateboarding magazine”, he is the ‘most influential skateboarder of all time‘.
Gonzales was grown up in South Gate also and a Mexican descent. When he was 13 years old, he entered the skateboarding. When he was 15 years old, he introduced a more contemporary groundbreaking loom to skateboarding.
In November 1984, his picture was used on the main page (cover) of Thrasher Magazine. This picture was taken while doing a trick named ‘beanplant’ on behalf of his sponsor the Alva company.
In 1986, Gonzales finished an Ollie known as the ‘Gonz Gap’. He did this from a single wall downward to an additional platform in San Francisco, USA. In that year, he along with his fellow skater named Natas Kaupas performed “Skate handrails”, and did it as the first skater.
And also as the first skater, he performed a four feet-tall gap, nineteen feet long, four-block, Ollie at the Wallenberg Set in San Francisco, a part of California, USA. In 2006, the Transworld skateboarding awarded him “the Legend Award”. In December 2011, the same magazine declared him “the most influential skateboarder of all time”.
13. Leticia Bufoni
Leticia Bufoni e Silva is shortly known as Leticia Bufoni who was born on 13 April, 1993 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. She is mostly famous for zero literal balls and having gigantic metaphorical balls. She is the only one among the Brazilian skater who has included on the list of famous skateboarders.
From her childhood, like most other Brazilian, she played football. This female skater can control a ball with her feet, and later this quality has made her one of the best skateboarders of her generation. She is a regular competitor on the circuit who has won six X Games medals.
At the same time, she has written her name to numerous Dew tour results and has secured the 1st position in Street League of 2015. Her competitor could not go near her because of her determination, grit, and willingness to try tricks.
Though, in 2015, her naked posed for the ESPN body issue attracted a lot of negative attention to her, in 2016, her gigantic front boardslide took her to the top peak. But she argued that the whole idea of showing the body was to show the athlete’s body only. It was not for any sexual issue. It means that she did is to show her fitness in skateboarding. And she was correct in saying so because still people search for her fitness tips regularly.
14. Shane O’Neill
Shane O’Neill was born on 3rd January 1990 in Melbourne, Australia. Sill he is one of the best skaters in the world, not being from California. This Australian rider is regular in the biggest skating competitions of the world, such as Dew Tour, X Games, and Street League.
Shane O’Neill has got incredible success for his style and board controlling power, and his friends called him “Nugget” for that. His combination is so flawless that it seems he is in a video game rather than skating in real life.
Though he is well known for his skill, in 2017, his levels video has raised him in another level in the skateboarding industry. Skateboarding is a part of Olympic sport now, and in 2022, it is hoped that he will successfully take part in the Tokyo Olympic Games, and has a chance of winning a medal as the only male skater outside the USA or Brazil
15. Tony Alva
Tony Alva, another professional skater, was born on 2 September 1957, in Dogtown, California, USA. Though he didn’t create any skateboarding trick, he was one of them who has brought the game today what skating is now!
His home is in a rough area, so he practiced surfing on flat waves, and it was his way to skateboarding. He and his friends were the branches of the well-known Z-Boys skate crew, and commemorated by the movies Lords of Dogtown, and Dogtown And The Z-Boys.
His raw talent, smash-mouth, and aggressive attitude on a board has changed the game, and reached it to the top of the peak. During 1970, Tony Alva was considered as the best skateboarder in the world, and at the then, the game had gained global recognition, and he got superstar status.
In 2022, he celebrated his 62nd Birthday. But he still plays the game whenever he has chances, and will remain one of the respected players in skateboarding.
16. Jay Adams
Jay Adams was born on 3 February 1967, in California, USA. His stepfather was working in a surf and skate shop, and he was virtually grown up there. Later, he became a natural on a skateboard.
In 1974, at the age of only 13, Adams became a member of the Z-boys, and he was the youngest among them. His talent was so extraordinary that Tony Alva, a famous skateboarder, said about Adams that some children were born and grown up on graham crackers and milk, but Adams had been born and grown up on skateboarding and surfing.
Adam’s fame was exploded with the popularity of skateboarding. But he had to face problems. He was sent to prison for his drug addiction and a fatal physical attack on a gay couple. On 15th August 2015, in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, Adams was surfing with friends, and unfortunately, he died there for a fatal heart attack.
Maybe he had troubles, and leaded unsavory life, the skateboard lovers of the world will remember this one of the most influential skateboarders of all time with honor and love.
17. Jason Lee
Jason Michael Lee is a professional skateboarder who was born on 25 April 1970, in California, USA. He was not only a skater but also a nice actor. He was famous for his show ‘My Names Is Earl’.
He was also a regular in a series of Kevin Smith films, and Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back. From the 1980s to 1990s, Jason Lee was a famous professional skateboarder. He was in Blind skateboard’s video days that were directed by Spike Jonez.
His fame spread more when he got connected in the Tony Hawk’s Project 8 video game and Skate 3 game that introduced him to a new generation of skaters.
18. Rob Dyrdek
Robert Stanley Dyrdek is a famous skateboarder who was born in Ohio, USA, on 28 June, 1974. He was famous for Fantasy Factory. He started his pro skateboarding at the age of only 12, and amusingly he got his sponsor at that time.
After founding Alien Workshop in 1990, Dyrdek signed, and he was one of the first who did this. However, he left Alien Workshop later. He never goes beyond skating, and interestingly, he is the founder of Street League skateboarding which was massively popular. This successful championship event provides 1.6 million dollars for the winner.
Dyrdek is most popular for his Fantasy Factory, a reality TV show. This reality show is captured in his massive warehouse where he and his friends shoot together. This huge room is filled with a skate park, and all kinds of toys and vehicles. Another shows named Ridiculousness and Rob and Big ensure that Dyrdek will remain one of the most popular and famous skateboarders on the earth.
19. Sean Malto
Sean Malto, an American professional skateboarder, was born on 9 September 1989. Girl Skateboards, a renowned company became his sponsor and continued doing that until April 2018. In 2012, he was the part of “Girl/Chocolate video” named “Pretty Sweet” that was reproduced by “Girl and Ed Banger Records”.
In 2013, at the final matches of SLS competition held in Kansas City, the track of Malto’s skateboarding dismantled, and later he was eliminated from the competition. In 2013, in the month of November, he was severely injured in his ankle, and subsequently he had to out from the specialized skateboarding for about 3 years.
In 2016, a documentary video on his recuperation was uploaded to YouTube. The primary video piece of Malto was uploaded to YouTube, the Nike SB website, and the Berrics named “Nike SB: Elite Squad”.
Malto was lucky enough to get a lot of sponsors, such as Nike SB, Girl, Thunder Trucks, Spitfire Wheels, Diamond Supply Co., Beats by Dre, Bones Bearings, Escapist Skateboarding, Grizzly Griptape, Mountain Dew, Oakley, and GoPro.
At the age of only 10, Sean Malto started skateboarding. In 2003, when he got Girl Skateboarders as his sponsor, his name was included in their 2006 tour video named “Yes We CANada”. He took a strong part in “And Now Video” by Transworld, and after that in 2008, he turned Pro for Girl. At this moment, he is doing well with his consistency and stylish skating, and it is hoped that he will do well in the coming Olympic Games 2022.
20. Mike Vallely
Mike Vallely was born in the USA on 29 June, 1970. He is, at a time, a professional skateboarder, actor, musician, stuntman, FHL hockey player, and television personality. Now, he is one of the leading vocalists of the “hardcore punk band Black Flag”.
He was born in Edison, a part of New Jersey, USA, and grown-up there. From the boyhood, he played baseball, however, in 1984, when he was only 14, he started skateboarding along with punk music, and he started the sport by borrowing a skateboard from his friend; swore to devote his whole life to skateboarding.
Mike Valley got success when his picture is used as the cover page of Thrasher Magazine’s August 1986 issue. This picture was taken when he was doing in the circle of handplant. In the same year, he got new sponsor to fight at the “Street Attack” competition, and it was held in Oceanside of California. He got extraordinary success there, became the focus of attention in Transworld Skateboarding’s September issue as well.
In 1987, his “third Powell-Peralta video” named “The Search for Animal Chin” was released, and this success led him as a specialized skateboarder at a vert competition in Toronto, Canada on 31 May 1987. In February 2013, he became the first American ambassador and team rider for Swedish skate shoe company named “Servant Footwear”.
The Conclusion:
After reading the article, you have come to know about the famous skateboarders of all time. Once Skating was not regarded as a branch of sport, but now it is as popular as other forms, and all credit goes to the skateboarders. Yes, these people have done everything to develop the sport and brought it to the present situation. People of all over the world will remember these skaters with respect as long as the world exists.