Nyjah Huston

Nyjah Imani Huston (born November 30, 1994) is an American professional skateboarder and was the overall champion at competition series in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2017, and 2019. He is also the highest paid skateboarder in the world.[4] As of May 19, 2013, Huston has won more prize money than any other skateboarder in history.[5] In 2014, Huston ranked #5 on FoxWeekly's 'Top 15 Most Influential Skateboarders of All-Time'.[6]

Nyjah Huston
Huston in 2015
Personal information
Full nameNyjah Imani Huston
Born (1994-11-30) November 30, 1994[1]
Davis, California, U.S.
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2]
Weight150 lb (68 kg)[2]
Sport
Country United States
SportSkateboarding
Medal record
Representing  United States
World Skateboarding Championship
2014 Newark Street
2017 Los Angeles Street
2018 Rio de Janeiro Street
2019 São Paulo Street
2015 Chicago Street
2016 Los Angeles Street
Summer X Games[3]
2011 Los Angeles Street
2012 Los Angeles Real Street
2013 Los Angeles Street
2013 Barcelona Street
2013 Foz do Iguaçu Street
2014 Austin Street
2015 Austin Street
2016 Oslo Street
2018 Minneapolis Street
2018 Sydney Street
2019 Shanghai Street
2019 Minneapolis Street Best Trick
2009 Los Angeles Street
2010 Los Angeles Street
2016 Austin Street
2019 Minneapolis Street
2012 Los Angeles Street
2017 Minneapolis Street

Early life

Huston was born in Davis, California. He has three brothers and one sister. The children were raised in a strict Rastafarian lifestyle by their father Adeyemi Huston. They were vegans and got schooled at home by their mother Kelle Huston. Huston’s father was a skateboarder and made his sons start skating when Nyjah was only 5 years old. His father was very controlling and wanted Nyjah to skate every day.[7] In 2004 his parents purchased an indoor skate park in Davis where Huston spent his entire time practicing.[8] In 2006 his father abruptly decided to move to Puerto Rico with his family.[9] During this time the distance between Puerto Rico and California caused problems with Huston’s board sponsor Element Skateboards as Nyjah was not able to take part in demos. While in Puerto Rico his parents separated and his mother moved back to California with Nyjah’s siblings while he had to stay with his father Adeyemi as he was his manager and video filmer at that time. Nyjah Huston did not see his mother for one year before Kelle Huston took her husband to court to get divorced. The judge gave her full custody so Nyjah moved back to live with his mother and siblings.[10]

Professional Skateboarding

Huston first garnered attention when he signed a sponsorship deal with the Element company and joined the skateboard team. During his debut era with the company, Huston appeared in numerous Element video productions, such as both volumes of the Elementality series, and competed in high-profile contests, such as the Dew tour and the Vans Downtown Showdown. However, Huston eventually launched his own skateboard deck company "I&I" in the year of 2009[11] after he parted ways with Element in 2008; Huston was an amateur skateboarder at the time of his departure.[12]

I&I was a short-lived company and operated for approximately two years with a team that consisted of Huston, Richard Jefferson, and Anthony Williams. During the period of the company's existence, a number of magazine advertisements were published and an online promotional video that featured the three team members was released. The primary aesthetic influence of the brand was Rastafarianism and the I&I logo incorporated the pan-African colors of red, yellow, and green.[11][13]

Following the closure of I&I, Huston returned to Element and released a solo video production entitled Rise & Shine in 2011—the video was available for purchase on the iTunes website and later received the "Best Video Part" award from the Transworld Skateboarding magazine. During this stage of Huston's career, the skateboarder also joined the DC Shoes company as a team rider, following a significant period of time without a shoe sponsor—an unusual occurrence for a professional skateboarder with the degree of exposure that Huston had attracted. In response to the DC Shoes announcement, Huston explained that "I think it was all a buildup of things over the past year. DC has always been my top choice for a shoe sponsor but I think it took this past year for them to see what I've accomplished and how I did in the contests and my video part and all that for it to finally come through."[14]

Following Huston's decision to skateboard for DC Shoes, other DC team riders expressed their perspectives in online promotional material produced by the shoe company. Long-term DC team rider Josh Kalis stated in the introductory video for Huston (also featuring Mike Mo Capaldi), "And then there's this other dude out there, literally buying shoes from a skate shop. He could get shoes from anybody that he wanted, but he was buying DCs." Capaldi expressed his opinion on Huston in the same video, stating his belief that Huston is "probably the best skateboarder I've ever seen—he does everything in, like, two tries."[15]

After Huston's gold medal victory at the 2013 X Games Street League contest in Barcelona, Spain in mid-May, Transworld SKATEboarding magazine announced that no other skateboarder has won a greater amount of prize money.[5] On the final night of May 2013, the DC Shoes Co. held a launch event for the first signature model skate shoe of Huston's career at the Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, California, U.S., with Pete Rock in the role of DJ. The model is named the "Nyjah Huston Signature Shoe" and the promotional advertisement features Huston executing a trick at set of stairs at Hollywood High School in Los Angeles, U.S.[16]

An announcement on June 25, 2013, revealed that, due to a rib injury, Huston was unable to compete in the Street League contest at the Munich X Games in late June 2013. Huston's mother Kelle Huston reported that her son "bruised and scraped the right side of his torso" in a skateboarding accident, but an article from the Street League website stated that Huston would be fit to compete in the next contest round in July 2013 in Portland, Oregon.[17]

Huston was added to the competition lineup for the 2013 Kimberley Diamond Cup in South Africa, held from September 28 to 29.[18][19] Huston won the Kimberley Diamond Cup and the one million rand cash prize.[20]

Sponsorship

As of December 2019, Huston is sponsored by Nike SB, Element Skateboards, Monster Energy, Social CBD, Diamond Supply Co., Ricta Wheels, Doritos, Mountain Dew, Mob Grip and Adapt Technology.[21][22]

Awards

Huston won the inaugural "Kentucky Unbridled Spirit Award for Action Sports" in 2006.[23]

At Transworld SKATEboarding magazine's 2012 awards event, Huston's performance was given the headline "Nyjah Huston Cleans Up at Annual Transworld Skate Awards" by the Yahoo! Sports website. Huston won three awards at the event: "Best Video Part" (for Huston's Rise & Shine video release), "New Era Readers' Choice" (the only award chosen solely by the readers of the magazine and Transworld website), and "Best Street".[24][25]

Huston was nominated several times for Thrasher Magazine’s prestigious "Skater Of The Year" (SOTY) award but as of 2020 never won this award.

Video game appearances

Huston is a featured character in the video games Tony Hawk's Project 8,[26] Tony Hawk's Proving Ground,[27] Tony Hawk: Ride,[28] Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD,[29] and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5.[30]

Let It Flow

Together with his mother Kelle Huston, Huston founded the charity organization "Let It Flow" in 2008 with the aim of providing clean, safe, and accessible water to communities in need. Following their personal experiences in Puerto Rico, the pair started by selling reusable water bottles at a local farmers market and, as of December 2012, the organization builds clean-water wells, fixes wells that are inoperable, and builds sanitation stations for people in urgent need of clean water. Let It Flow built its first sanitation station in Ethiopia.[31]

Personal life

Following his return to Element, Huston revealed that his father's controlling behavior had led to estrangement, further explaining that his father refused to return video footage of Huston’s skateboarding following the separation. He no longer adheres to a strict Rastafarian lifestyle, cut off his dreadlocks and has identified hip hop as his favorite musical style to listen to.[32]

As of December 2019, Huston resides in a home in Laguna Beach, California, U.S.[33]

Contest history

2004
  • Volcom Damn Am: 4th (street)[34]
  • Volcom Damn Am: Best Trick Small Rail (street)[34]
  • Volcom Damn Am: Best Trick Big Rail (street)[34]

2005
  • Tampa Am: 1st (street)[34][35]
  • K.R.3.A.M. AM 2005 (street): 1st[34][36]
  • West 49 Canadian Open (street): 4th[34][37]
  • Global Assault 2005 (street): 2nd[34]

2006
  • Dew Action Sports Tour Right Guard Open, Denver (park): 2nd[34]
  • Dew Action Sports Tour Panasonic Open (park): 2nd[34][38]
  • Dew Tour, overall standings: 4th (park)[2]
  • Dew Action Sports Tour Vans Invitational, Portland (street): 4th[34]
  • X-Games 12 Street Finals: 8th[34]
  • Global Assault: 2nd (street)[2][39]
  • Vans Downtown Showdown: 2nd (best trick - stair)[2]

2007
  • eS Game of SKATE Pro: 2nd[34][40]
  • etnies Goofy vs Regular (Goofy Team): 2nd[34][41]

2008
  • Maloof Money Cup (street): 2nd[2][42]

2009

2010

2011
  • Tampa Pro: 2nd
  • Street League Skateboarding 2nd Series, 1st Stop (Seattle, WA): 1st
  • Street League Skateboarding 2nd Series, 2nd Stop (Kansas City, MO): 1st
  • Street League Skateboarding 2nd Series, 3rd Stop (Glendale, AZ): 1st
  • Street League Skateboarding 2nd Series, 4th Stop (Newark, NJ): 2nd
  • Street League Skateboarding 2nd Series Overall: 2nd place[46]
  • X Games XVII: 1st place (street)[47]

2012
  • Street League Skateboarding 3rd Series, 1st Stop (Kansas City, MO): 1st
  • Street League Skateboarding 3rd Series, 2nd Stop (Ontario, CA): 1st
  • Street League Skateboarding 3rd Series, 3rd Stop (Glendale, AZ): 4th
  • Street League Skateboarding 3rd Series, 4th Stop (New Jersey): 1st
  • Street League Skateboarding 3rd Series Overall: 1st place

2013
  • Tampa Pro (Tampa, FL): 2nd place[48]
  • Tampa Pro (Tampa, FL): Best Trick - 1st place[49]
  • X Games XIX (Foz do Iguaçú): 1st place (street)
  • X Games XIX (Barcelona): 1st place (street)
  • Street League Skateboarding (Kansas City): 1st place[50]
  • X Games XIX (Los Angeles): 1st place (street)
  • Kimberley Diamond Cup (South Africa): 1st place (street)[20]

2014
  • Tampa Pro (Tampa, FL): 1st
  • Street League Skateboarding Pro Open (Los Angeles): 1st
  • X Games Austin 2014 Monster Energy Men's Skateboard Street: 1st
  • Street League Skateboarding (Chicago): 1st
  • Street League Skateboarding (Los Angeles): 1st
  • Street League Skateboarding Super Crown World Championship (New Jersey): 1st

2015
  • Tampa Pro (Tampa, FL): 2nd
  • Street League Pro Open (Barcelona): 1st
  • X Games Skateboard Street (Austin): Gold
  • Street League Skateboarding (Los Angeles): 2nd
  • Street League Skateboarding (New Jersey): 2nd
  • Street League Skateboarding Super Crown World Championship (Chicago): 2nd
  • Kimberley Diamond Cup (South Africa): 1st place (street)[20]

2016
  • Tampa Pro 2016: 4th
  • X Games Skateboard Street (Oslo): 1st
  • Red Bull Hart Lines Contest (Detroit): 1st
  • Street League Pro Open (Barcelona): 2nd
  • X Games Austin 2016 Monster Energy Men's Skateboard Street: 2nd
  • Street League Skateboarding (Munich): 3rd
  • Street League Skateboarding (Newark): 1st
  • Street League Skateboarding Super Crown World Championship (Los Angeles): 2nd

2017
  • Tampa Pro 2017: 5th
  • Red Bull Hart Lines Contest (Detroit): 1st
  • Street League Pro Open (Barcelona): 1st
  • Dew Tour (California): 2nd
  • Street League Skateboarding (Munich): 1st
  • Street League Skateboarding (Chicago) 4th
  • Street League Skateboarding Super Crown World Championship (Los Angeles): 1st
  • X Games (Minneapolis): 3rd

2018
  • Street League Skateboarding (London) : Injured
  • Street League Skateboarding (Los Angeles) : 4th
  • Street League Skateboarding ( Hungington Beach) : 7th
  • X Games Men's skateboard street (Minneapolis) 2018: 1st
  • X Games Men's skateboard street (Sydney) 2018: 1st
  • Street League Skateboarding Super Crown World Championship (Rio de Janeiro): 1st

2019
  • X Games Skateboard Street (Shanghai): 1st[51]
  • Dew Tour (California): 7th[52]
  • Street League Skateboarding (Los Angeles): 8th[53]
  • X Games Skateboard Street (Minneapolis): 2nd [54]
  • Street League Skateboarding (London): 1st
  • X Games Skateboard Street Best Trick (Minneapolis): 1st [55]
  • Street League Skateboarding Super Crown World Championship (Sao Paolo): 1st

Videography
  • Element Kids: Tricks (2005)
  • Element: Elementality Volume 1 (2005)
  • Element: Brent Atchley Pro Debut Video (2006)
  • Globe: The Global Assault (2006)
  • Element: Elementality Volume 2 (2006)
  • eS: eSpecial (2007)
  • Element: This Is My Element (2007)
  • Silver: Silver In Barcelona (2008)
  • Thrasher: Double Rock (2009)
  • Element: Rise & Shine (2011)[56]
  • Rap Video by The Game (featuring Chris Brown, Tyga, Wiz Khalifa, Lil Wayne): Celebration (2012)[57]
  • Cameo Kid Ink ft. Chris Brown - Show Me (2014)
  • DC Shoes: Nyjah - Fade to Black (2014)
  • Nike : Til Death (2018)
gollark: You could complain that this is due to indoctrination of some sort by... someone, and maybe this is true (EDIT: but you could probably just change that and it would be easier than reworking the entire economy). But you can quite easily see examples of people just not actually caring about hardships far away, and I think this is a thing throughout history.
gollark: What I'm saying is that, despite some problems, our market system is pretty effective at making the things people involved in it want. And most people do not *actually* want to help people elsewhere much if it comes at cost to them.
gollark: Yep!
gollark: "Economy" means "any sort of system which coordinates production/allocates resources".
gollark: Now, part of that is probably that you can't really trust whoever is asking to use those resources properly, and that's fair. But there are now things for comparing the effectiveness of different charities and whatnot.

References
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  9. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-sports/the-impossible-rise-of-nyjah-huston-199843/
  10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aqmjl5NxhH0
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  21. "Sponsors".
  22. https://nyjah.com/partners/
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  30. "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5". Missing or empty |url= (help)
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  33. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJaXjItxL6w&t=42s
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  52. "Results". Dew Tour. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  53. "SLS Los Angeles Final Results". SLS - Street League Skateboarding. July 30, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
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  57. The Game. "Celebration". YouTube. YouTube. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Shaun White		 Best Male Action Sports Athlete ESPY Award
2013, 2014		 Succeeded by
Ryan Dungey
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