Skateboarding may have once been seen as a pastime for kids that are on the loose, it has quickly grown to become not just a serious sport in its own right, but has spawn an entire industry of skateboards, accessories and competition events, along with big ticket sponsorships for skateboarding stars. Here’s our list of some of the wealthiest and coolest skateboarders. While admittedly compared to other sports, the purse for skateboarding events is not that large, many skateboarders become reality TV stars and go on to become entrepreneurs.
Mike Carroll
Net Worth: $3 million
Michael Shawn Carroll is a professional skateboarder from Daly City, California, United States and also the co-founder and vice-president of Girl Skateboards and the co-founder of Lakai Limited Footwear.
He created the Chocolate Skateboards subdivision of Girl which went on to conquer a significant marketshare of the skateboarding market. Renowned for his innovative, technical, and stylish street skateboarding in the early 1990s, he was conferred a few awards as a skater, such as the Skater of the Year award from Thrasher magazine. He won it in 1994 at the age of 19.
Mike Carroll has also been selected as one of the most influential skaters, making it to the sixteenth position of a list by Transworld Skateboarding called The 30 Most Influential skaters of All Time. He has also been included in all three Skate games from Electronic Arts as a playable character.
As of 2023, Mike Carroll is estimated to have a personal fortune of $3 million dollars.
Obviously, there’s a point where you begin to level out without changes.
Mike Carroll
Nyjah Huston
Net Worth: $7 million
Five-time champion of the Street League Skateboarding competition series, Nyjah Huston is the highest paid skateboarder in the world. Huston has won more money in total than any other professional skateboarder, and he has been ranked the fifth most influential skateboarder of all time by Foxweekly.
This young skater is sponsored by Nike SB, Diamond Supply Co., Element Skateboards, Ricta Wheels, Monster Energy, Social CBD, Doritos, Mob Grip, Mountain Dew, flatbread Neapolitan pizzeria, and Adapt Technology. As of January 2021 Nyjah, Huston stated via social media that he is no longer with Element Skateboards.
Although Huston started his own skateboard deck company back in 2009, it was a shortlived company. We’re sure Huston will venture into the business world again. While not on his skateboard, Huston devotes his free time to his personal charity, Let It Flow, a non-profit organization bringing clean water and sanitation to deprived communities all over the world.
As of 2023, Huston is thought to have a personal fortune of $7 million.
Skateboarding is something that I’ve loved ever since I started when I was five years old.
Nyjah Huston
Tony Alva
Net Worth: $10 million
Tony Alva started skateboarding at the age of only 11 and soon grew to be a consummate skateboarder, developing a style that was very distinct from other skateboarders of the time. He was one of the first skateboarders to perform front side airs.
Back in 1972, he joined the Z-boys skateboarding team. By the time he was nearly 20 years old, he started his own skate company, named after himself, Alva Skates, the first to be run and owned by a skateboarder. His company led the innovation by using plywood layered with Canadian maple woods for their skate decks. With this experience, Alva also became a consultant for Vans in modifying their skateboard designs.
Besides being professional skateboarder, Alva is also a musician. Some may have seen him in the reality program Storage Wars.
This professional skater and entrepreneur is estimated to be worth a cool $10 million, as of 2023.
My goal was, that I wanted to be the best in the world.
Tony Alva
Chad Muska
Net Worth: $12 million
When Chad Muska met Erik Ellington another skateboarder in Arizona, both skateboarders had not become professional yet at their game.
After Muska moved to California, he joined Toy Machine after a brief period with Maple where he appeared in the Rites of Passage video from the year 1994. Owing to his skills, Toy Machine was signed on by Elissa Steamer for a sponsorship and soon Toy Machine became a much emulated skateboarding team.
At the time in 2011, Muska was rated the 12 most influential skateboarder of all time. Soon he was sponsored by eS Skate Shoe company and a line of shoes called the es Muska was launched in 1998. Muska was soon sought by other companies for his input to their skateboard shoe designs.
This led to Muska going into skateboard paraphernalia products and he partnered Cabada to open a store in Los Angeles, which was called Factory 413. Muska had lines of accessories including sunglasses and shoes.
His skateboarding and involvement in business made him a lot of money. Today, as of 2023, Chad Muska is estimated to have accumulated a personal wealth of $12 million.
It’s me, my phone, an extra pair of socks and boxers, markers, spray paint and headphones.
Chad Muska
Ryan Sheckler
Net Worth: $5 million
Ryan Sheckler has received numerous awards and is one of the most talented skateboarders of his time.
Between 1999 and 2002, Ryan was runner up and winner of several competitions. He gave impressive performances at the Globe World Cup, Slam City Jam, and Tampa Am. By the time he turned 13, Sheckler turned professional and was outstanding in his performances in tournament that year. His achievements for that year included a 2nd place at the Scandinavian Open, first places at Slam City Jam, and the Vans Triple Crown Street competition.
Ryan was dubbed Action Sports Tour’s Athlete of the Year in 2005 and he was the overall Street Champion by the World Cup of Skateboarding. In 2006, at the Arby’s Action Sports Awards, Ryan was named Skateboarder of the year as well as Athlete of the Year. He was even named overall Park Champion for the 2006 Action Sports Tour.
In 2006, the same year he won the Street Champion, he joined Red Bull Energy Drink team and contributed to Red Bull success in sponsoring skateboarding teams.
Outside of his skateboarding, Ryan is a TV reality star and has established the Sheckler Foundation aimed at promoting the health of sports athletes. Sheckler has starred in four seasons of Sheckler Sessions on Red Bull TV.
Between 2007 and 2012, Ryan was a member of Plan B. He successfully cleared a 55 feet gap on Bob Burnquist’s Mega Ramp in April 2008. Rayn appeared in the final section of Plan B’s Superfuture promotional video released in 2008 which featured footage of Sheckler’s Mega Ramp skateboarding.
Sheckler was the star of MTV reality series Life of Ryan which ran from 2007 to 2009.
From about 2013, Sheckler has appeared in promotional videos of the relaunched Plan B team and in the second season of the Sheckler Sessions which aired in November 2013. In 2013 and 2014, Sheckler took first place in the Drew Tour Streetstyle events.
As of 2023, Ryan Sheckler is estimated to have a personal fortune of $5 million.
If I weren’t skateboarding, I’d love to race cars. I like anything that’s fast and active.
Ryan Sheckler
Stefan Janoski
Net Worth: $15 million
Stefan Janoski is perhaps best known for his signature Nike SkateBoarding shoes aptly called the “Nike Zoom Stefan Janoski” Janoski is also known for his “switch-stance” skills and casual style of skateboarding.
Janoski have been sponsored by Crown of Laurel, Nike SB, Habitat Skateboards, Venture Trucks, Glassy and Asphalt Yacht Club, to name a few.
Off the skateboard, Janoski is an artist in his own right, having partnered Andy Warde for the “Voyages” exhibition which opened in September of 2013 in California. The exhibition presented ceramic and sculptural works by Janoski.
As of 2023, Janoski is estimated to have a net worth of $15 million.
Most people would sooner die than think; in fact, they do so.
Bertrand Russell
Tony Hawk
Net Worth: $100 million
Tony Hawk is currently the world’s richest skateboarders. Tony accumulated his considerable wealth from skateboarding and sponsorship deals.
Hawk completed the first documented “900” skateboarding trick, licensed a video game series published by Activision, and is a pioneer of modern vertical skateboarding. In 2014, Hawk was named one of the most influential skateboarders of all time by FoxWeekly.
Hawk has appeared in films, other media, and his own series of video games. He has also been involved in various philanthropic activities, including his own Tony Hawk Foundation that helps to build skate parks in underprivileged areas.
Although since retired in 1999, Hawk’s talents attracted millions of fans to skateboarding, and sponsorship deals, which contributed to his massive wealth.
Hawk’s popularity was such that a video game series was made after Hawk’s skateboarding, titled Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, debuted in 1999. Since then, the series has expanded to 18 titles so far, including ten main-series titles, four spin-offs, and four repackages.
Hawk has also appeared in various films and television shows.
As of 2023, this skateboarder has accumulated an estimated $100 million in personal wealth.
I believe that people should take pride in what they do, even if it is scorned or misunderstood by the public at large.
Tony Hawk
Jamie Thomas
Net Worth: $30 million
Jamie Thomas is another skateboarder that has made it big. He is a skateboard industry entrepreneur, being the owner and founder of Zero Skateboards and Fallen Footwear, until he announced its closure in January 2017. Thomas’ nickname in the skateboard industry is “The Chief”.
In 2017, Jamie Thomas Announced on instagram that he would be joining a new footwear brand called STRAYE footwear, alongside Chad Muska and Antwuan Dixon.
Jamie Thomas announced on April 24, 2019 that he sold his collectible skateboard business, Garage Days Collection, to a collector. Garage Days Collection sued the collector, Florida resident and attorney Matthew R. Wendler, in the San Diego County Superior Court a month later, on May 24, 2019. Two days later, Wendler sued Thomas and Garage Days Collection in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The California case is now pending before the Honorable Janis L. Sammartino, and the Florida case is pending before the Honorable Roy K. Altman.
Notwithstanding these legal issues, Thomas is estimated to have accumulated a personal net worth of $30 million.
I think that skateboarding can absolutely help make peace… I know skateboarding can bring people together.
Jamie Thomas
Shaun White
Net Worth: $60 million
Shaun White is not only a skateboarder, he is also a three-time Olympic gold medalist. He holds the record for the most X-Games gold medals and most Olympic gold medals by a snowboarder, and he has won 10 ESPY Awards.
White has had a sponsor since he was seven years old. Corporate endorsement deals that White has signed have included Burton Snowboards, Oakley, Inc., Birdhouse Skateboards, Park City Mountain Resort, Target Corporation, Red Bull, Ubisoft, Adio, Hewlett-Packard, and American Express.
White also has his own character on the game Shaun Palmer’s Pro Snowboarder, as well as the video games Shaun White Snowboarding and Shaun White Skateboarding.
In 2009, Forbes magazine estimated that he had earned $9 million from his endorsements in 2008.
As of 2023, White is thought to be worth an estimated $60 million.
You take a crash, you get back up and next time you succeed and that’s a great feeling.
Shaun White
Rob Dyrdek
Net Worth: $75 million
At the age of 12, Dyrdek already acquired sponsorship from the same company that professional skateboarder Neil Blender was a team member of and began his skateboarding career. A few years later, Dyrdek and Blender quit their board sponsor and created Alien Workshop.
At the age of 16, Dyrdek decided to forgo his senior year of high school and instead moved to Southern California to continue with his professional skate career. He would later acquire the company himself during his post-riding career as an entrepreneur.
When Dyrdek moved to California, he began to ride for Droors Clothing, a company that was then transformed into DC Shoes. DC Shoes was Dyrdek’s sponsor until 2016. Other sponsors of Dyrdek included Silver Trucks (a company that he helped establish in 2003), EA Skate, and Monster Energy.
Dyrdek is the founder of the Street League Skateboarding (SLS) skateboard competition enterprise and the series has grown from a domestic to international event. The league offered the highest overall prize money in the history of the sport, at $1.6 million for its championship event broadcast on ESPN in 198 countries.
Dyrdek is also known as a reality TV star and has featured in several movies as well.
He is best known for his roles in the reality shows Rob & Big, Rob Dyrdek‘s Fantasy Factory and Ridiculousness. He also is the creator of the animated series Wild Grinders, in which he voices the series’ main character, Lil Rob. In 2014, Dyrdek was labeled as one of the “most influential skateboarders of all-time” by FoxWeekly.
As of 2023, Rob Dyrdek has a net worth estimated at $75 million.
My entire life is a single body of work.
Rob Dyrdek
