Professional skateboarders do not get the same high salaries that professional football or basketball players are paid, however this does not mean leaders in the skateboarding profession haven’t amassed fortunes for themselves.

Unlike others in the field of sports, the majority of the richest skateboarders in the world have made their millions from sponsorship deals and becoming business savvy. Many of these skateboarding legends have gone on to continue their careers in the skateboarding industry by creating their own skateboarding companies whether it be in manufacturing skateboards or creating clothing brands. However the truly wealthy skateboarders have made their fortunes from the television or media industries.

The richest skateboarders listed below have not only reached legendary status as skateboarders, but have also managed to build their own million dollar empires from the ground up!

The Richest Professional Skateboarders

Tony Hawk – $140 Million

Credit: Tony Hawk/Instagram

Whether you are a skateboarder or not, you more than likely know the name Tony Hawk. This American professional skateboarder has had an amazing career and at the age of 53 is still an active figure in the skateboarding industry today.

Hawk started skateboarding as a lanky teenager in Southern California and quickly became popular for flying high above the coping of vert bowls and ramps. Over the years he has won more than sixty skateboarding competitions since 1983 but his career doesn’t end there. He capitalized on his skateboarding success and fame with a plethora of brand deals, appearances in a variety of movies and TV shows, and created his own skateboarding video game ‘Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater‘.

It only seems fitting that someone this famous in skateboarding would have a skateboarding company. Birdhouse which is Hawk’s company, was started by Tony and Per Welinder in 1992 and has grown to become very successful sponsoring top skateboarders like Aaron Homoki, Clive Dixon, and Lizzie Armanto.

Tony Hawk’s skateboarding career has been extremely successful which has resulted in him having an estimated net worth of $140 million as of 2021.

Rob Dyrdek – $100 Million

Rob Dyrdek began his skateboarding career at the age of eleven in Kettering, Ohio, and it wasn’t long before he made the move to Southern California to pursue a professional career.

While Dyrdek had a successful career as a professional skateboarder, it was his entrepreneurial ventures that led him to becoming one of the richest professional skateboarders of all time.

What’s surprising is that these business ventures that led him to his $100 million empire can all be attributed to his partnership with DC Shoes. Dyrdek was one of the original riders for the brand and received his first pro signature shoe in 1995. The following two decades saw the brand developed 29 signature model shoes for the athlete.

This sneaker money helped him launch numerous businesses including his purchase of the Alien Workshop company and helped him to create several reality TV series such as Rob and Big, Fantasy Factory, and Ridiculousness. He even wrote and acted in his own movie Street Dreams as well as created an animated cartoon called Wild Grinders which aired on Nicktoons.

Dyrdek always wanted to give back to the sport that gave him so much and he did so by creating Street League. Street League is an international skateboarding tournament series that offers skateboarders huge prize money unlike regular skateboarding competitions. These competitions can see over $1.5 million in prize money for the competitors.

As of 2021, Rob Dyrdek’s net worth is $100 million dollars.

Rick Howard – $50 Million

Credit: @mikeomeally
Credit: @oliverbarton

Rick Howard is a professional skateboarder and businessman from Canada. Early in his career he moved to California and skated for Plan B and DC Shoes. He has been featured in several skateboarding videos and is known for advancing “switch skating”. Switch skating refers to riding in the opposite direction than usual in the opposite stance, and making it look normal. Rick’s ability to do this and make it look normal was very influential on other skaters.

He also co-founded successful skateboarding companies Girl Skateboards and Lakai Footwear under the distribution company Crailtap. Both Girl and Lakai are some of the biggest skateboarding companies out there with stacked pro teams and cult-like followings. Both companies have made extremely popular skate videos such as “Yeah Right” and “Fully Flaired”.

Howard’s success in the skateboarding industry has earned him an estimated net value of $50 million as of 2021.

Jamie Thomas – $50 Million

Jamie Thomas is an American professional skateboarder known in the industry as “The Chief”. Thomas made the move from Alabama to California where he turned pro in 1992. In 1994 he joined Toy Machine Skateboards where he directed two videos, the second one being “Welcome to Hell” which turned out to be one of the most influential skate videos of the 1990s.

Thomas was one of the best skateboarders of his generation but it is his entrepreneurial spirit that is responsible for his financial success. In 1996, he formed “Zero” a clothing company that later moved to the production of skateboard decks. Zero became a very popular and sought after brand for many skateboarders.

If you have ever seen the movie “Toy Story” look out for the character named “Sid” and you will see a skull on his t-shirt which is nearly identical to the the Zero logo. There has been a long list of professional skateboarders on the Zero team including Elissa Steamer, but the most popular would have to be Chris Cole.

Thomas also started a skate shoe company in 2003 under the name Fallen Footwear. The brand wasn’t as successful as Zero but never the less is still a popular brand among skaters. Fallen disappeared from the market for a few years before making a return to the shelves but this time without Thomas. Jamie Thomas is now worth an estimated $50 million dollars as of as of 2021.

Rodney Mullen – $30 Million

Credit: Rodney Mullen/Instagram

Rodney Mullen is an American professional skateboarder and pioneer of the sport. He is the godfather and inventor of street skating as we know it and his skateboarding career has been nothing short of legendary. This skateboarding legend even invented the ‘ollie‘ skateboarding trick on flat ground and then took it to the streets.

Mullen started out freestyle skating where he won just about every contest he entered in the late seventies. He won the Oceanside Nationals in 1979 then continued to bring new and innovative skateboarding to contests throughout the 1980’s.

The Bones Brigade are responsible for turning Mullen pro but in 1989 he left the company to become an investor in World Industries, a brand founded by fellow rival and friend Steve Rocco. The company struggled initially but eventually morphed into the biggest skateboard manufacturer company in the world, ‘Dwindle Distribution’.

Mullen also rode for Plan B before starting another company in 1997 called the A Team however it was short-lived. He then rode for Enjoi before once again starting another company called Almost which he is still a part owner of today.

In 2002, Steve Rocco decided to sell World Industries for a whopping $46 million making Rodney Mullen who was the primary investor an instant millionaire. It is estimated that Rodney’s net worth is now $30 million dollars.

You Might Also Like: