How the Bronx Born Skater Became One of the Most Influential Figures in Contemporary Skateboarding
Long before skateboarding became fully intertwined with luxury fashion, global brand partnerships, and mainstream culture, Tyshawn Jones was already helping redefine what a professional skateboarder could look like.
Born in Manhattan on December 24, 1998, and raised between the Bronx, New Jersey, and New York City, Jones grew up surrounded by the energy and unpredictability that would later come to define both his personality and his skating. He first discovered skateboarding at just ten years old after playing the video game Skate with his brother and uncle. What began as curiosity quickly evolved into obsession. After purchasing his first skateboard from Target, Jones immersed himself entirely in the culture, spending countless hours skating New York’s streets and developing a style uniquely shaped by the city around him.
New York has always occupied a distinct place within skateboarding. The city’s rough terrain, crowded streets, unforgiving architecture, and constant movement demand a different kind of skater. For Jones, those challenges became an advantage. The environment forced him to develop not only technical ability, but an aggressive, fearless approach that would eventually become his trademark.
Jones first began attracting attention through local videos and online clips before catching the eye of Jason Dill, founder of Fucking Awesome and one of skateboarding’s most influential figures. Under Dill’s mentorship, Jones joined the brand and rapidly emerged as one of the sport’s most exciting young talents. Around the same time, he also became closely associated with Supreme, appearing in a series of videos filmed by legendary videographer Bill Strobeck.
It was through projects like Cherry that the broader skate world was first introduced to Jones’ extraordinary potential. Even among a generation filled with remarkable talent, there was something immediately different about him. His skating combined technical precision with explosive power, while his unmistakable personality and post trick celebrations made every clip feel uniquely his own.
By 2018, Jones had become impossible to ignore.
That year, Supreme released BLESSED, a full length skate film now widely regarded as one of the defining skate videos of the modern era. Jones opened the film with a now legendary sequence that included flipping into the Washington Square Park fountain, immediately establishing the tone for what would become one of the most celebrated video parts of the decade.
The impact was immediate. At just nineteen years old, Jones was awarded Thrasher Magazine’s prestigious Skater of the Year honor, becoming both the first Black skateboarder and the first New York skater to receive the award. Four years later, in 2022, he would claim the title once again, becoming only the third skateboarder in history to win Thrasher’s highest honor twice.
Throughout his career, Jones has consistently built his reputation by attempting and landing some of the most intimidating tricks in contemporary skateboarding. Perhaps no image better captures his willingness to embrace risk than the now iconic kickflip over active subway tracks in upper Manhattan, a photograph that ultimately landed on the cover of Thrasher. The image instantly entered skateboarding history and further solidified Jones as one of the defining street skaters of his generation.
Yet Jones’ influence extends far beyond what happens on a skateboard.
In 2014, alongside fellow skateboarder Na Kel Smith, he co founded Hardies Hardware, transforming what began as a skate hardware company into a recognizable lifestyle brand. In 2022, after departing Fucking Awesome, Jones launched King Skateboards, taking complete ownership over his creative direction and further expanding his entrepreneurial ambitions.
At the same time, Jones has increasingly become one of the most important figures bridging skateboarding and fashion. Long associated with Adidas Skateboarding, where he has released multiple signature shoes, Jones has successfully crossed into luxury fashion without sacrificing the authenticity that made him influential in the first place.
His growing cultural presence eventually led to his appointment as a Louis Vuitton Friend of the House under Pharrell Williams, placing him within a lineage of creatives who exist at the intersection of sport, fashion, music, and art. It represented more than simply another partnership. It signaled skateboarding’s continued evolution within contemporary culture, with Jones standing at the center of that shift.
His influence has also expanded into entertainment. Jones appeared in the 2021 skate film North Hollywood, featured prominently in Kendrick Lamar’s “N95” music video, and was recently introduced as a playable character in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4, cementing his status not only as a professional athlete, but as a recognizable cultural figure.
Perhaps no statistic better illustrates the scale of Jones’ influence than details revealed during his recent lawsuit against Supreme. Court filings alleged that his final contract with the brand paid him approximately $1 million annually, or roughly $83,333 per month, simply to represent the company. Regardless of the legal outcome, the figure underscored the extraordinary value Jones had generated within both skateboarding and fashion.
Today, Tyshawn Jones represents something larger than professional skateboarding. He has become a blueprint for a new generation of athletes and creatives, one in which skateboarding, entrepreneurship, fashion, entertainment, and culture are no longer separate worlds, but interconnected ones.
Few skateboarders have influenced that evolution more profoundly than Tyshawn Jones.
