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Skateboarding is an action sport that fills its viewers with excitement and nerves when boarders perform their daring feats. These athletes execute electrifying tricks, like kick flips, 360 degrees flips and ollies at global competitions, and besides being an unusual sport that has a smaller following, skateboarding has become increasingly popular as a recreational activity, an art form or even a simple means of transportation.
A survey conducted in 2002 reported that there were 18.5 million skateboarders around the world. 74 percent of the total skateboarders polled were male, and today there are about 10 million skateboarders in the United States alone. According to recent estimates, this number is now over 50 million worldwide. So, skateboarding has become more and more popular as the years go by.
Once known as a hobby of twisted teenagers or long-haired ,shaggy surfer dudes, skateboarding has today become a mult-million-dollar industry. You might not know, but skateboarding competitions pay a lot, and there are huge, lucrative endorsement deals and business ventures that follow the most successful skaters. Skateboarding has thus become a promising action sport that has made a select group of skaters very, very rich. Without further ado, here are the top 10 richest skateboarders in the world.
T9. Anthony Mosley - Net Worth: $10 million
Anthony Mosley is an American professional skateboarder with a net worth of $10 million. He began skateboarding when he was 13 years old, and decided to focus on it as a career when he was 16. Mosley has been a promising skateboarder and winner of various skating competitions throughout his career. He is renowned for his showmanship and unique style of skating. After 'Billabong' became his first sponsor, Mosley began a quite meteoric rise in the skateboarding world. He collaborated with Dallas Stokes, a line of skate wear, and with Black Sheep Label, a popular shoe line, to strengthen his profits. Mosley later used a portion of his earnings to establish the "Be Cool" staking clinics in Los Angeles.
T9. Lance Mountain - Net Worth: $10 million
Lance Mountain was one of the most successful and prominent skateboarders throughout the 1980s. The American professional skateboarder was involved with the Bones Brigade during that time, and today he is regarded as one of the most influential pioneers of vertical and street skating. His sponsors include Nike SB, Flip, Variflex, Independent Trucks, Spitfire and Stussy Clothing. Apart from that, the 49-year-old is the creator of the 'Fingerboard', a working mirror image of a skateboard that you can use with your hands. He also co-designed the Stage V skateboard truck, and has appeared in some movies. Lance Mountain continues to skate professionally, and his net worth is $10 million.
T6. Eric Koston - Net Worth: $15 million
Eric Koston is a Thai-American professional skateboarder, turned pro in 1993. He has been described as the "Michael Jordan of Skateboarding" by teammate and professional skateboarder Brandon Biebel. Eric Koston has a net worth of $15 million which he gathered through skateboarding and endorsement deals from various companies. The 38-year-old has lucrative sponsorships with Nike SB Shoes, Independent Trucks, Girl, Spitfire Wheels, Fourstar, Supreme, Diamond, The Berrics, Jessup, Oakley and Skullcandy Headphones. Koston has also co-founded two famous skate-parks, namely "The Philo-Thai Centre" and "The Berrics". He has also appeared in many TV shows and video games as well.
T6. Tony Alva - Net Worth: $15 million
Tony Alva was one of the original members of the Z-Boys skateboarding team, and today he is widely acclaimed as one of the most influential skateboarders of all time. He is well-known as the first skateboarder to "hit the lip" while skating with massive speed to shoot himself in the air. This action also made him popular as an "Aerial". Tony Alva has a net worth of $15 million which he gathered through skateboarding and endorsements, and by opening Alva Skates, his own skate gear company, at the age of 19. His sponsors include Alva Skateboards, Independent Trucks and Hurley Wetsuits.
T6. Rob Dyrdek - Net Worth: $15 million
Rob Dyrdek is an American professional skateboarder who is also popular as a reality TV star, entrepreneur and producer. He began skateboarding when he was 11, and turned pro in 1991, at the age of 16. Since then, he has set 21 Guinness World Records in skateboarding. Dyrdek has an estimated net worth of $15 million, much of which he gathered as a professional skateboarder, through endorsements and as an actor in reality TV shows. For the show 'Rob and Big', Dyrdek received $60,000 per episode. He currently owns a part of the skateboard company 'Alien Workshop'. The 39-year-old has sponsorship deals with Monster Energy, Silver Trucks, DC Shoes and his own company, Alien Workshop.
T4. Chad Muska - Net Worth: $16 million
Chad Muska is an American professional skateboarder, entrepreneur and musician (DJ), with an estimated net worth of $16 million. His net worth comes from skateboarding, sponsorship deals and music. His sponsors include Shorty's Skateboards, Maple, Diakka Watches, Fury Skateboard Trucks, Etnies, TSA Clothing, Circa Footwear, Toy Machine and Ghetto Child Wheels. The 36-year-old has also featured as a playable character in Tony Hawk's video game series. In December 2011, Transworld Skateboarding magazine listed Muska as the "12th Most Influential Skateboarder of All Time".
T4. Ryan Sheckler - Net Worth: $16 million
Ryan Allen Sheckler is the youngest of the skateboarders on this list. The 24-year-old American has a net worth of $16 million, much of which he gathered through skateboarding, sponsorship deals and reality shows. His sponsors include Red Bull, Oakley Eyewear, Volcom Clothing, Panasonic, Nixon, Independent, Grizzly, Ethika, Go Pro, Andale, Plan B and Etnies. Sheckler turned professional in 2004 after winning various titles like Gravity Games, Vans Triple Crown, World Cup of Skateboarding and Slam City Jam. Besides that, he also has 6 Summer X medals (3 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze) under his belt. In 2008, he founded the 'Sheckler Foundation', an organization to assist and help needy children and injured athletes.
3. Rodney Mullen - Net Worth: $30 million
Rodney Mullen is an American professional skateboarder, public speaker and company owner, with an estimated net worth of $30 million, making him the third-richest skateboarder in the world. He is credited with inventing over 30 skating tricks, including the heel flip, kick flip, flatground ollie, 360 flip, impossible, and various others. In 2002, Mullen was honored with the "Transworld Skateboarding Reader's Choice Award for Skater of the Year", and was also ranked 3rd in Transworld's list of "30 Most Influential Skaters of All Time". In May 2013, he was inducted into the "Skateboarding Hall of Fame". The 47-year-old has made appearances in over 20 skateboarding videos, while also co-authoring an autobiography entitled "The Mutt: How to Skateboard and Not Kill Yourself" with writer Sean Mortimer.
2. Stavros Niarchos III - Net Worth: $100 million
Stavros Niarchos III is a Greek professional Kiteboarder, with a net worth of $100 million. He accumulated his wealth as an heir to his grandfather's shipping business. Stavros Spyros Niarchos, his grandfather, was a Greek shipping tycoon and multi-billionaire. Niarchos III is considered to be a good skateboarder and an excellent Kiteboarder. The 29-year-old completed his graduation from the University of Southern California Film School. His own net worth and an empire of family wealth have often linked him to high profile women such as Mary-Kate Olsen, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan.
1. Tony Hawk - Net Worth: $120 million
Anthony Frank "Tony" Hawk is an American former professional skateboarder with an estimated net worth of $120 million, making him the richest skateboarder in the world. He gathered much of his net worth as a professional skateboarder through sponsorships and as an actor. His sponsors include Nixon, Quicksilver, Independent, Bones and his own skateboarding company 'Birdhouse'. He has established the 'Tony Hawk Foundation', an organization which provides assistance to underprivileged children. Besides that, he has shown active involvement in various philanthropic works over the years.
Nicknamed "The Birdman", Hawk is widely recognized as one of the "Most Influential Pioneers of Modern Vertical Skateboarding". He became the first skateboarder to successfully rotate 900 degrees on a skateboard, while in the air. The 45-year-old has won 14 Summer X medals, including 9 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze. In December 2011, Transworld Skateboarding magazine listed Hawk as the "2nd Most Influential Skateboarder of All Time", behind Mark Gonzales and ahead of Rodney Mullen.
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