Top 10 Greatest Street Skateboarders of All Time
Street skating is raw, loud, and unpredictable, and that's exactly why it's such a big deal. This isn't about skating the smooth lines of a halfpipe or choreographing tricks in a competition arena. Street skaters take it to the pavement, the rails, the ledges, the stair sets, and everything in between. It's part sport, part art, and part total disregard for your own shins. The skaters who've risen to the top of this world didn't get there by playing it safe.
Skating is always evolving, but greatness sticks around. From the pioneers who turned the streets into their personal playground before the world was paying attention to the modern-day machines who keep dropping never-been-dones like it's just another Tuesday, this list is all about who really changed the game. Take a look, cast your votes, and back the skaters who've put it all out there for the love of the streets.
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Rodney Mullen
If it wasn't for Mullen, none of these guys would even know what a kickflip is, man. We are talking about the best skateboarder of all time. All of the guys are great, but really, would Sheckler be kickflipping those 17 steps or fences if it wasn't for Mr. #1 on this list?
I would name all the other tricks he invented, but that would take too much time. Mullen became pro when he was ten. People might say that was before they were born and that skating was easier then. But thirty years later, would they still be talking about these guys like they do about Mullen?
He was a great freestyle skater at first. Then he was forced to start street skating, and I love the way he infused his freestyle tricks with street skating, like his primo slide and casper slide, and how he'll do truck stands and stuff at the top of ramps! He is a great skater, and to the guy who said make some new tricks on Chris Cole, he invented pretty much every trick.
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Paul "P-Rod" Rodriguez
Paul is just an all-around amazing skateboarder. His style, in my opinion, looks effortless and simply amazing. Just wondering, why is Mullen on this list? He's a freestyle skateboarder, not street. Paul should be number one. Plus, he has become a role model for many kids and teenagers now, like me.
Most X-Games street gold medals. That's all that needs to be said.
I'm 32, and P-Rod's been killing the street.
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Ryan Sheckler
Sheckler should be first. Ryan is awesome. In the X Games 2012 street final, he was last almost the whole time and then went from last to second. He beat Nyjah Huston. Sheckler is way better than anyone on this list.
Better than Chris Cole, P-Rod, Rob Dyrdek, Jereme Rodgers, and everyone on this list.
Sheckler winning the X Games at the age of 13! He can pull off tricks much more advanced than anyone on this list. He owns the kickflip. For example, his kickflip at Marblehead and the huge kickflip over the fence, not forgetting his kickflipping 17 stairs.
He is the most talented skateboarder of all time. Sheckler is street skating!
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Nyjah Huston
Nyjah is a great skater and is definitely not afraid to go big on anything he does. He always brings his A-game and is competitive with others, but he isn't mean. He is a great skater, and that is very true. Great job, Nyjah!
Nyjah should be at least 2nd. He has won Street League 5 times! He was the first to win and win 3 times in a row. Sure, he has never really changed the sport, but he could probably beat almost everyone on this list.
Nyjah has been a street and competition god all his life. He won the first Street League when he was 15 and won some X Games medals before and after that. He was simply built for skateboarding.
He's probably so good because his father almost forced him into skateboarding, along with his other siblings, at a really young age.
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Chris Cole
Chris Cole is epic. When he skates at his best, he is unstoppable. His consistency as a skater is unbelievable. He is an icon and ambassador for skateboarding. He revolutionized the sport.
Mullen deserves his #1 spot, but Cole should be closer to P-Rod than Sheckler. Sheckler's one of those guys you love or hate.
Baller, one of only like five skaters to ever win an SLS stop. Plus, he's just been crushing it forever and still is.
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Rob Dyrdek
Robert Stanley Dyrdek is an American professional skateboarder, actor, entrepreneur, producer, and reality TV star. He is best known for his roles in the reality shows Rob & Big, Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory, and Ridiculousness. Dyrdek is also the founder of the Street League Skateboarding competition... read more
Plus one for the sheer contributions Dyrdek has made to street skating. How sick was his part in The DC Video? And then when Rob and Big came out on MTV as a television series? Come on, dawg. Dyrdek mainstreamed street skating. Respect.
I don't think Rob is the most technically skilled street skater of all time (Rodney Mullen and Daewon Song are just technical superhumans), but he's able to hold his own as a very old man in athletic years. He clearly deserves high respect for that too.
Rob Dyrdek is better than any other skater, no doubt about it. He is my idol. I want to aspire to be like Rob Dyrdek. He flipped a car! Name one other person who has flipped a car before.
And he is also the only skater who goes around, spending lots of his own time and money to fix up skate parks for kids, out of the goodness of his heart.
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Torey Pudwill
Torey Pudwill being number 8? This guy is so sick that he switch ollied over 8 decks. Now imagine his regular ollie - how high is that going to be? T-Puds is a beast. He pops so high. I've never seen a skater who pops like him, never.
His laser flips are so good, and he's really, really good at ledges. He's the best tech skater of all time. His Plan B "True" is so gnarly! This guy pops really high! And his Big Bang video part? It's so dope. It's the best skate edit ever!
He's certainly better than Nyjah and Chris Cole, so he should be in the top 3. And he's the God of kickflips, whether you like it or not. It's not a question. I'm not asking you, I'm telling you, he's the God of Kickflips, and that's a fact.
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Luan Oliveira
Dude, Luan is the flip king! He's got so much power and speed in his skating, and he's super creative.
Luan skates the way he wants, and that's what skating's about.
His tricks are the most beautiful of them all. The way he does them is different than the rest.
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Daewon Song
Daewon Song is amazing! Mullen is also amazing, but he just annoys me when I watch him skate. Daewon just takes the hardest tricks and makes them as smooth as butter.
P-Rod is boring, and Chris Cole's style doesn't seem as effortless as Daewon's. I actually think short skaters look smoother because of their lower center of gravity. All these other guys don't have the smooth/difficult combo of tricks. Daewon should be #1 (for now).
Daewon should definitely be at the top of this list for his technical and graceful approach. Nobody compares to his ability and creativity. For example, nobody utilizes as many objects to skate and yet makes the tricks look so easy.
Also, his ability to balance himself and pull off the tricks he does is unmatched. Unseen style of skating and a true original pioneer.
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Eric Koston
He's one of my favorite pro skaters! He rocks!
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Aaron Kyro
He is an amazing street skater. When it comes to manual pads, I would consider him one of the best in the world.
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Deion Whitaker
Young but gnarly 14-year-old Deion Whitaker, with 4 sponsors, is skilled in freestyle, Berrics, and street skateboarding. He's been on a 2-year streak since October 6, 2016.
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Shane O'Neill
Definitely should be at least top 5. Never seen a skater so technical. And just a great personality altogether.
Shane O'Neill should be in the top 15 for sure. That guy is an amazing street skater.
He's a sick skater with awesome tricks that he pulls off almost effortlessly. Definitely one of the best.
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Chris Haslam
Haslam is probably my favorite skater to watch. I just love his style, but I get that he probably hasn't had enough video parts, especially in recent years, for people to keep rating him.
Haslam's an uber beast! He made up a brand new trick right on the spot: double fakie laser flip! Only Haslam can do that!
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Bob Burnquist
You can't have a top 10 list without Bob on it. He's at least top 10 in every discipline.
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Stevie Williams
One of the best ever! Straight from the ghettos of Philly. Best-looking tricks of all time. Best manuals. Should be number 1.
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Andrew Reynolds
One of the best stair/rail skaters of all time and truly a perfectionist! He makes tricks, but if he feels like he blinked wrong, he'll just do it again. An artist of skateboarding.
Craziest skate footage I have ever seen in Baker 3. Definitely one of the top skaters that ever lived.
Baker 3 with Andrew was the craziest skating I've ever seen. Go Reynolds! And where the heck is John Cardiel?
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Jereme Rogers
In my opinion, he was the best back in his day. I wish he wouldn't have retired his board. Still one of the greatest, though!
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Mike Mo Capaldi
I feel like he should be higher on this list. One of the best skaters, period.
Mike Mo is a beast when it comes to ledges. Not that many skaters can fakie frontside crooks 360 flip out.
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Lizard King
Completely insane. Lizard King is a skate lunatic, down for anything, fool.
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Tony Hawk
Anthony Frank "Tony" Hawk is an American professional skateboarder, actor, and entrepreneur. He is the founder of the skateboard company Birdhouse and is widely recognized for landing the first documented 900-degree spin. Hawk is also known for his popular series of video games published by Activision... read more
Guys, where have you been? We are talking about Tony Hawk, the best skateboarder. Well, in my mind, Mullen rocks. I can understand him being first, but the other guys? Tony should be 2 or 3.
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Ryan Decenzo
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Bam Margera
Brandon Cole "Bam" Margera is an American professional skateboarder, stunt performer, filmmaker, musician, and television personality. He gained fame in the early 2000s as a star of MTV's "Jackass" and "Viva La Bam." Margera has also directed films and appeared in numerous skateboarding videos.
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Geoff Rowley
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Chaz Ortiz
Chaz has his personal style of riding. He's not at the level of Sheckler, P-Rod, or Mullen, but I think he is in the world top ten.
Youngest person to ever win a Dew Tour stop. Just saying, it's gotta count for something. Plus, Ishod Wair wasn't on the list.
Chaz Ortiz, the best pro skater ever. Perfect landings!
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Sean Malto
Malto makes everything seem so effortless when it's extremely hard. He should be in the top 10.
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Mark Gonzales
Mark and Natas skated street together and were the first skaters ever to do tricks down handrails and flips down stairs and much, much more. Placing them in the 30s is downright disrespectful. Study and you shall learn!
I always liked Natas better than the Gonz, but saying he's #26?
People are ignorant. One of the best of all time, if not THE best.
Man, Gonzales is the man, the legend.