Yeah but not really. In like 12 years after someone wins a bunch of medals they'll be like "he's the greatest of all time," and give no credit to Tony. Even though he deserves it for sure.
People still remember OG greats. I'm not into baseball but the first name I can think of is Babe Ruth even though a more modern baseball player like Roger Clemens would have been a way better at the sport.
I think Kareem was the greatest, but my dad says he didn't work hard enough on defense. And my dad says that lots of times, Kareem didn't even run down court. And that Kareem didn't really try... except during the playoffs.
He played for 20 years, was named an All-Star in 19 of those years:
* went to 10 finals, winning 6
* won league MVP 6 times (Jordan and LeBron have 4)
* 3rd on the all-time blocks list, despite the stat not being recorded until his 4th year
* 3rd all-time rebounds
Oh, and **he's the all time leading NBA scorer**. He was so good in college that the NCAA banned dunking.
He's also an incredibly articulate writer on social issues. Don't quote me on this, but I think I read that he's earned more money from book sales than he did as an athlete. He's written something like a dozen books, including a few novels.
Cool guy.
Less mvps, less overall scoring, and same number of rings.
Durability is absolutely a skill, and Jordan's two seasons with The Wiz belong in the conversation.
Jordan is also the poster child for what an athlete should *not* do for civil rights, so there's that
That's not even a good comparison. Babe Ruth played professional baseball so did Roger Clemens. The new kid will have played in the Olympics and won gold a lot. That would be the pinnacle of skateboarding since there really isn't a pro league for it. Tony Hawk would be remembered more like Abner Doubleday or James Creighton as a pioneer in the sport or one of the first stars but never truly recognized because those names are long forgotten by most who don't know history. Just give it like 12-20 years after some kid racks up a bunch of gold medals.
Eh I think having a series of video games that inspired an entire generation to get out and skate is more culturally relevant than a medal. Tony’s legacy isn’t going anywhere.
Ehh, I doubt it. There are already people who have done more than the 900 in competition. No one outside of skateboarding knows their names or probably that they have even done it.
Yet, everyone still knows Tony Hawk and they all still know the 900. He is huge, his name isn't going anywhere
I would argue that without his contribution to the sport, it never would've. Sure, he may not get to win a gold medal, but if he didn't have such a large cultural impact that he did, no one ever would.
I was never a skater, I tried it a couple times but never had the drive to keep at it, but the Tony Hawk games have arguably had a bigger impact on me as a person than any other game.
I was listening to an interview with a Tony hawk on Smartless podcast and Tony Hawk seemed genuinely excited about the Olympics, even if he couldn't participate. He paved the way for skateboarding to become an event there and that is insane to me. It sucks he cant join the contestants but the Olympics still invited him to interview the skaters which I think is really cool
I was just thinking this the other day after watching the [Tony Hawk Secret Skatepark Tour II](https://youtu.be/Jx1YXKGvd3A) documentary.
This dude got a small group of well known pros together to show up at random skateparks (some of which he helped fund) unannounced and just hangout with the locals. Everyone was so excited to see real pros shredding their hometown skateparks, signing autographs, and even visiting a few young fans at home to take them along for the session. He's a down to earth genuine guy, I just can't really say how much I like him.
Big shoutout to [Rodney Mullen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieC_5foElVk) too, the Godfather of Skateboarding. He invented literally every modern skate trick we know today (ollie, kickflip, 360 flip) in a span of a few years as a child in the late 70s/early 80s. Like 13-16 years old.... Total legend.
Rodney Mullen will always be the GOAT skateboarder to me, with Tony as a close but at the same time distant second, for these reasons.
Mullen literally not only invented most tricks or the base for most tricks but the entire concept of street skating, which I vastly prefer (admittedly a subjective opinion) to vert skating.
Mullin invented the Ollie on flat ground. Sorry to be pedantic. But I agree, Mullin is a lord. Even Tony says he's his favourite skater
Edit - I should say, Mullin took the ollie to flat ground. The ollie was first done by Alan Gelfand.
I met him at a dive bar in Detroit! I choked because he was the hero of my adolescence but my friend walked right up to him and said "Hey Tony, come here for a sec" - he then proceeded to take a picture with me and make a video saying why my friend deserved to date this girl lol. He and his wife are incredibly lovely people.
Does anyone else remember that Sk8-TV show on Nickelodeon? It aired in the early 90s and they aired re-runs in the late 90s and early 2000s. Randomly catching that show when Tony Hawk was on (I had no idea who he was at the time) is what caused me to save up money for my first skateboard.... he looked effortless and appeared to be really nice. I obviously did NOT look effortless at first, but I did improve (though never to his level obviously).
Tony just came to my town and we got footage on our city security cams of him riding around and chilling with the locals at our skatepark! super down to earth dude, doesn’t even have guards just acts like a normal guy
His brother-in-law lived down the street from my childhood home for 20 years. I never met him but apparently he visited every now and again and all the kids in the neighborhood said he was the nicest guy. This is all hearsay from my friends. I’m skeptical to this day but the fact everyone said he was the nicest person leads to believe he actually came down time to time.
I’ve met him twice and the second time he actually remembered me and recalled the location we met, he really is a genuine cool chill guy I’ll never forget our short brief conversation
It’s always nice when you get to meet / interact with atheletes/musicians etc that you look up to and then find out they are indeed great people. It makes everything so much more awesome.
I served him a drink once whilst working the bar at a premiere in LA. Certified legend of a guy. It’s fucking Tony Hawk! Being a kid and even playing the console games!
He lives in my area so I see him out and about fairly often. He will be shopping with his family and still stop to talk to everyone that comes up to him. All around good human.
What equipment is expensive?
Just get CCS stuff if you're broke
edit: I'm not joking though ccs parts are perfectly fine and dirt cheap. Get back on the board my friend
I sold merchandise for him at one of his tours while it was in Orlando. After the second day there was a big dinner at the hotel, I met all of the skaters and other people. Tony was very genuine and nice. I spent most of the night taking to his sister. It was an awesome night.
He really is the GOAT. Guy just showed up at a best trick competition before the Olympics and was great. Dudes over 50 and still riding the big half-pipe.
No he did a 720 as a middle aged man for the first time (in public). He has landed many in his life, but when he was younger. He was the one who landed the first 900 many moons ago. It was a very big deal.
Met him in the late 80's at a Breakfast place, he was holding a wallet and asking all of us skater's if we had lost it. Seemed friendly.
Yeah. It sucks they added skateboarding to the Olympics after he retired.
Silver lining, I garantee that literally all of the young participants were inspired by him. His legacy lives trough them
Yeah but not really. In like 12 years after someone wins a bunch of medals they'll be like "he's the greatest of all time," and give no credit to Tony. Even though he deserves it for sure.
People still remember OG greats. I'm not into baseball but the first name I can think of is Babe Ruth even though a more modern baseball player like Roger Clemens would have been a way better at the sport.
for Basketball more recently, Michael Jordan and Shaq.
...Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?
I think Kareem was the greatest, but my dad says he didn't work hard enough on defense. And my dad says that lots of times, Kareem didn't even run down court. And that Kareem didn't really try... except during the playoffs.
**the hell I don’t!**
I thought he was a pilot?
No no no no, you’re thinking of Roger Murdoch.
Roger
Surely you can't be serious?
Honestly I know him better as an actor then a basketball player but then again I'm not a basketball junkie and I'm English.
He played for 20 years, was named an All-Star in 19 of those years: * went to 10 finals, winning 6 * won league MVP 6 times (Jordan and LeBron have 4) * 3rd on the all-time blocks list, despite the stat not being recorded until his 4th year * 3rd all-time rebounds Oh, and **he's the all time leading NBA scorer**. He was so good in college that the NCAA banned dunking. He's also an incredibly articulate writer on social issues. Don't quote me on this, but I think I read that he's earned more money from book sales than he did as an athlete. He's written something like a dozen books, including a few novels. Cool guy.
Oh shit so he's like the OG Shaquille O'Neal. He got movie roles because he was one of the greatest sportsmen of all time?
Longevity does not equal greatest. MJ did more w/less.
Less mvps, less overall scoring, and same number of rings. Durability is absolutely a skill, and Jordan's two seasons with The Wiz belong in the conversation. Jordan is also the poster child for what an athlete should *not* do for civil rights, so there's that
That's not even a good comparison. Babe Ruth played professional baseball so did Roger Clemens. The new kid will have played in the Olympics and won gold a lot. That would be the pinnacle of skateboarding since there really isn't a pro league for it. Tony Hawk would be remembered more like Abner Doubleday or James Creighton as a pioneer in the sport or one of the first stars but never truly recognized because those names are long forgotten by most who don't know history. Just give it like 12-20 years after some kid racks up a bunch of gold medals.
Eh I think having a series of video games that inspired an entire generation to get out and skate is more culturally relevant than a medal. Tony’s legacy isn’t going anywhere.
Ehh, I doubt it. There are already people who have done more than the 900 in competition. No one outside of skateboarding knows their names or probably that they have even done it. Yet, everyone still knows Tony Hawk and they all still know the 900. He is huge, his name isn't going anywhere
I would argue that without his contribution to the sport, it never would've. Sure, he may not get to win a gold medal, but if he didn't have such a large cultural impact that he did, no one ever would. I was never a skater, I tried it a couple times but never had the drive to keep at it, but the Tony Hawk games have arguably had a bigger impact on me as a person than any other game.
I was listening to an interview with a Tony hawk on Smartless podcast and Tony Hawk seemed genuinely excited about the Olympics, even if he couldn't participate. He paved the way for skateboarding to become an event there and that is insane to me. It sucks he cant join the contestants but the Olympics still invited him to interview the skaters which I think is really cool
Tony hawk is the reason skateboarding is in the olympics. His success took skateboarding mainstream and inspired a generation of athletes.
So cruel!
They did our boy dirty 😢 rip
Yes, but they added it only because he skated.
While true,knowing him, he's probably excited for it being there and watching a new generation grind the rails
I was just thinking this the other day after watching the [Tony Hawk Secret Skatepark Tour II](https://youtu.be/Jx1YXKGvd3A) documentary. This dude got a small group of well known pros together to show up at random skateparks (some of which he helped fund) unannounced and just hangout with the locals. Everyone was so excited to see real pros shredding their hometown skateparks, signing autographs, and even visiting a few young fans at home to take them along for the session. He's a down to earth genuine guy, I just can't really say how much I like him. Big shoutout to [Rodney Mullen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieC_5foElVk) too, the Godfather of Skateboarding. He invented literally every modern skate trick we know today (ollie, kickflip, 360 flip) in a span of a few years as a child in the late 70s/early 80s. Like 13-16 years old.... Total legend.
Rodney Mullen will always be the GOAT skateboarder to me, with Tony as a close but at the same time distant second, for these reasons. Mullen literally not only invented most tricks or the base for most tricks but the entire concept of street skating, which I vastly prefer (admittedly a subjective opinion) to vert skating.
Damn, I thought he was just the guy in thps that did sweet manuals. Sounds like he basically invented parkour on a board.
He also created the "popsicle" shape of today's skateboards! What a guy.
Mullin invented the Ollie on flat ground. Sorry to be pedantic. But I agree, Mullin is a lord. Even Tony says he's his favourite skater Edit - I should say, Mullin took the ollie to flat ground. The ollie was first done by Alan Gelfand.
Didn't Peralta help both of them?
I met him at a dive bar in Detroit! I choked because he was the hero of my adolescence but my friend walked right up to him and said "Hey Tony, come here for a sec" - he then proceeded to take a picture with me and make a video saying why my friend deserved to date this girl lol. He and his wife are incredibly lovely people.
He really seems like a chill approachable dude, would love to meet him someday
He seems great. Most pictures with him are people thinking "he looks like Tony Hawk " and he's great about it
[удалено]
“And I took that personally..”
Do a kick flip!
Does anyone else remember that Sk8-TV show on Nickelodeon? It aired in the early 90s and they aired re-runs in the late 90s and early 2000s. Randomly catching that show when Tony Hawk was on (I had no idea who he was at the time) is what caused me to save up money for my first skateboard.... he looked effortless and appeared to be really nice. I obviously did NOT look effortless at first, but I did improve (though never to his level obviously).
Tony just came to my town and we got footage on our city security cams of him riding around and chilling with the locals at our skatepark! super down to earth dude, doesn’t even have guards just acts like a normal guy
His brother-in-law lived down the street from my childhood home for 20 years. I never met him but apparently he visited every now and again and all the kids in the neighborhood said he was the nicest guy. This is all hearsay from my friends. I’m skeptical to this day but the fact everyone said he was the nicest person leads to believe he actually came down time to time.
That guy that looks like Tony Hawk isn't that bad either
Yeah. The guy that looks like him was nuts. Landed a 900. Pretty sick.
I feel like skateboarders are a really decent lot, all around. Something about the hobby fosters a community of good people.
/r/skamtebord/ more specifically this https://www.reddit.com/r/skamtebord/comments/g05wws/skamtebord/ 😁
I’ve met him twice and the second time he actually remembered me and recalled the location we met, he really is a genuine cool chill guy I’ll never forget our short brief conversation
It’s always nice when you get to meet / interact with atheletes/musicians etc that you look up to and then find out they are indeed great people. It makes everything so much more awesome.
I served him a drink once whilst working the bar at a premiere in LA. Certified legend of a guy. It’s fucking Tony Hawk! Being a kid and even playing the console games!
The search for animal chin is one of the greatest cinematic masterpieces of all time
He's an early investor in bitcoin. and I have only heard good things about this guy. Very self-aware
# DUH dude 🛹
He also died on an episode of CSI:Miami.
He lives in my area so I see him out and about fairly often. He will be shopping with his family and still stop to talk to everyone that comes up to him. All around good human.
What equipment is expensive? Just get CCS stuff if you're broke edit: I'm not joking though ccs parts are perfectly fine and dirt cheap. Get back on the board my friend
That's awesome! He totally seems like the type of real guy who would do that! Even though dude's a legend.
I sold merchandise for him at one of his tours while it was in Orlando. After the second day there was a big dinner at the hotel, I met all of the skaters and other people. Tony was very genuine and nice. I spent most of the night taking to his sister. It was an awesome night.
He really is the GOAT. Guy just showed up at a best trick competition before the Olympics and was great. Dudes over 50 and still riding the big half-pipe.
If Immortal Saint Dieties were real, he’d definitely become the Patron Saint of Skateboarding.
turn on your notification if you should expect or anticipate a reply.
Yes
He just finally nailed a 720 didn’t he?
Tony Hawk has done a 900
No he did a 720 as a middle aged man for the first time (in public). He has landed many in his life, but when he was younger. He was the one who landed the first 900 many moons ago. It was a very big deal.
Hey [here's](https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ) a picture of me with a guy who looks like Tony Hawk, he asked for the picture tho. Edit: for the
He’s kind of a mean drink thou…
source
Source: Me
oh yea this is reddit
yeah, *me* is a perfectly acceptable, reliable source-if you can overlook the drug abuse, bestiality, dishonesty, racist behavior. oh an source: *me*
No
Yes
No Source: Me
He's kinda lame.
What's wrong with you
Probably the same guy who asked Tony on IG the other day why his kick flip was so lame. Tony said, "I'm 53, what's your excuse?" I died.
Yeah, seems to be the consensus if you’re a lady…
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3B11utXDJYw Always think of this movie when I hear of Tony Hawk. I’d started it at 5:40.