Determining the absolute greatest to ever ride a skateboard requires looking far beyond basic contest medals and street league trophies.
True legendary status belongs to the radical innovators, cultural icons, and technical pioneers who fundamentally altered the progression of modern skateboarding history.
From the concrete backyard pools of 1970s California to the massive stadiums of the modern Olympic Games, these athletes pushed physical boundaries to transform a simple street subculture into a respected global phenomenon.
Skateboarding is now considered one of the coolest sports on the planet, combining athleticism with pure style.
Vert icons like Tony Hawk, the legendary master of the halfpipe, redefined what was possible in transition skating by landing historic aerial maneuvers.
Meanwhile, street skating gods like Rodney Mullen practically invented the modern trick playbook by introducing the flatground ollie, kickflip, and heelflip.
The top earners in the sport have become some of the highest-paid athletes of all time.
Let us count down the most influential, progressive, and iconic professional skateboarders to ever step onto a deck.
10. Chris Cole
Chris Cole has consistently been regarded as one of the top skateboarders in the world.
He is a three-time street skateboarding gold medalist and one of only two skateboarders to win the Thrasher Skater of the Year award twice, in 2005 and 2009. The other two-time winner is Danny Way.
Cole continued to perform at a high level by winning a gold medal at the 2013 X Games in Munich. He also finished among the top competitors in Street League Skateboarding events and the Tampa Pro contests.
Throughout his career, he has been associated with several brands and sponsors, including Fallen Footwear, Grizzly Griptape, GoPro, Indian Motorcycle, cbdMD, Remind Insoles, Zero Skateboards, Monster Energy, Bones Bearings, and Cult Crew.
9. Nyjah Huston
California-born American skateboarder Nyjah Huston is widely regarded as one of the best skateboarders in the world. In addition to winning multiple X Games gold medals, he won World Skateboarding Championship titles in 2011, 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2019.
Huston is considered one of the highest-paid skateboarders in history due to his prize earnings and sponsorship deals.
He has also had a major influence on modern skateboarding through his techniques, tricks, and skating style.
He became the overall champion of the Street League Skateboarding series in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2017, and 2019. He has also won 12 X Games gold medals in the street skateboarding category.
8. Paul Rodriguez
Paul Rodriguez is a professional American street skateboarder, actor, rapper, and recording artist. During his X Games career, he won a total of eight medals, including four gold medals.
His most recent first-place X Games victory came in Los Angeles in July 2012.
Rodriguez developed an interest in skateboarding after watching local skaters at school perform tricks and control the board with precision. He received his first skateboard at the age of 12.
During his professional career, he was associated with skateboard brands such as Girl Skateboards and Plan B Skateboards. He also established his own training facility in Los Angeles.
7. Bucky Lasek
Bucky Lasek is an American professional skateboarder with a reported net worth of approximately $2.5 million.
He began skateboarding at the age of 12 after his bicycle was stolen and he started using a skateboard for daily transportation.
He quickly gained recognition on the amateur skateboarding circuit and later received sponsorship from Powell Peralta after turning professional in 1990.
The launch of the X Games played a major role in his rise to popularity. Since 1998, he has participated in nearly every Summer X Games event.
6. Danny Way
Danny Way is a professional American skateboarder, business owner, and rallycross driver. He received the “Skater of the Year” award from Thrasher magazine twice during his career.
He is widely known for performing extreme skateboarding stunts, including jumping from a helicopter onto a skateboard ramp. This stunt was also featured on the cover of Transworld Skateboarding magazine.
5. Eric Koston
Erick Koston achieved legendary status after dropping out of school in tenth grade and solely focusing on skateboarding.
He is a brand in the skateboarding world, won numerous competitions, and has also landed crazy tricks.
4. Daewon Song
Danny Way is a professional American skateboarder, business owner, and rallycross driver. He received the “Skater of the Year” award from Thrasher magazine twice during his career.
He is known for performing extreme skateboarding stunts, including a helicopter-to-skateboard-ramp jump that was featured on a magazine cover.
Song was also named one of the 30 most influential skateboarders of all time by Transworld Skateboarding and later received the “TWS Legend” honor.
He was named “Skater of the Year” by Phelps in 2006 and was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame in 2017.
3. Bob Burnquist
Bob Burnquist is a Brazilian-American professional skateboarder known for his innovative style and contributions to modern skateboarding.
In 2010, he became the first skateboarder to successfully land a “fakie 900.” This achievement made him one of the few skateboarders in history to complete a 900-degree trick.
He is also recognized as the only skater to complete a full loop on a vertical ramp using enough momentum while remaining inside the structure.
Since 1998, Burnquist has earned multiple X Games medals, including 9 gold medals, 6 silver medals, and 6 bronze medals, making him one of the most successful competitors in X Games history.
Burnquist also created and introduced several original skateboarding tricks, many of which are still used today.
2. Tony Hawk
Tony Hawk was one of the world’s leading skaters at the age of 16 and won over 70 skateboarding competitions in his 17-year career.
Hawk remains one of the most famous athletes in the world, synonymous with skateboarding itself.
Hawk started his own Birdhouse and has a successful line of skateboarding video games and videos.
Hawk completed the first documented “900” trick, licensed the Activision-published video game series, and has been a global figure in modern vertical skateboarding.
Hawk appeared in movies, other media, and his own video game series. His own Tony Hawk Foundation, which helps build skate parks in underprivileged areas, is also involved in several philanthropic activities.
In June 2009, Hawk was invited to attend the Father’s Day celebration organized by US President Barack Obama in the White House and skateboarded in the corridors and hallways of the nearby Old Executive Office Building.
This was the first time anyone had skated with officials’ permission on the grounds of the White House.
1. Rodney Mullen
Mullen is widely known for inventing numerous tricks, including flat-ground ollie, kickflip, heelflip, impossible, and 360-flip, as one of the most influential street skaters in the history of the sport.
He joined the Powell-Peralta Bones Brigade in 1980. Later on, he joined Plan B, a leading skateboarding team, in 1991.
Plan B released a video in 1993 where Mullen’s newly-mastered Darkside titled Virtual Reality. Mullen’s involvement in Plan B ended in 1994, shortly after Mike Ternasky’s unexpected death. Another company, A-Team, was founded in Mullen in 1997.
Mullen aimed to form a super team after defection from Plan B, the World Industries Empire.
The ultimate benchmark for skate greatness combines technical precision, raw power, stylistic flair, and an undeniable impact on culture.
Pioneers like Danny Way blew minds by jumping the Great Wall of China on a mega ramp, while street masters like Nyjah Huston established unmatched competitive dominance with dozens of X Games gold medals.
Whether you value the effortless, smooth style of Mark Gonzales or the fierce park terrain creativity of modern icons, these figures permanently shaped the sport’s identity.
As a fresh generation of Olympic medalists continues to push technical flip tricks and heavy rail combos, the foundational blueprints laid by these legends remain completely unmatched.