Rodney Mullen Net Worth

What is Rodney Mullen's Net Worth?

Rodney Mullen is an American professional skateboarder who has a net worth of $3 million. Regarded as one of the most influential skateboarders of all time, Rodney Mullen is the winner of over 30 freestyle competitions and is credited with inventing numerous staple tricks, including the flatground ollie, the kickflip, and the impossible. He has appeared in a plethora of skateboarding videos and video games during his career, including the popular "Tony Hawk's" video game series.

Early Life and Education

Rodney Mullen was born John Rodney Mullen on August 17, 1966, in Gainesville, Florida. His mother was a child prodigy pianist, and his father was a dentist and property developer. Mullen was raised on a farm and began skateboarding when he was ten years old in the garage. He eventually became obsessed and practiced for hours every day. Mullen received his formal education at P. K. Yonge Developmental Research School, from which he graduated with a 4.0 GPA. He subsequently attended the University of Florida, but did not complete his degree.

Professional Skateboarding

Mullen competed in his first US Open Championships in 1978 and came in fifth place in the boys' freestyle category. Due to his performance, he earned sponsorship from Walker Skateboards. Mullen went on to dominate amateur competitions in Florida over the next two years, winning 30 consecutive championships. In 1980, at the age of 14, he won his first world freestyle championship in the Oasis Pro competition. There, Mullen met fellow future skateboarding legend Tony Hawk. After winning the Oasis Pro, Mullen joined the renowned Bones Brigade skateboarding team, sponsored by Powell Peralta. He continued his success throughout the 1980s, winning 34 of 35 freestyle contests he competed in to become the most dominant competitive skateboarder of all time. Meanwhile, Mullen invented many tricks that would become skateboarding staples, including such flip tricks as the kickflip and heelflip, and other tricks such as the flatground ollie and the impossible.

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Further Career

Toward the end of the 1980s, Mullen joined the skateboarding brand World Industries and began managing it with fellow Bones Brigade member and company co-founder Steve Rocco. As the popularity of freestyle skateboarding waned in the 1990s, Mullen transitioned to street skating. Early in the decade, he joined the skateboarding team Plan B Skateboards, for which he appeared in videos that documented his transition to street skating. Notable titles were "The Questionable Video" and "Virtual Reality." Mullen became less involved with the company following the death of owner Mike Ternasky in 1994. He went on to launch his own company, the A-Team, in 1997, and began a video series with fellow skateboarder Daewon Song. After the A-Team fell apart in 2000, Mullen joined the company Enjoi. He also founded the skateboarding truck company Tensor Trucks, which had such team riders as Daewon Song, Chris Cole, Ryan Sheckler, and Ronnie Creager. After leaving Enjoi, Mullen partnered with Song to co-found Almost Skateboards in 2003. The company, which manufactured skateboard decks, folded after 20 years.

During the 2000s, Mullen's popularity increased significantly due to his appearances in the "Tony Hawk's" skateboarding video game series, starting with "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2." He also published his autobiography, "The Mutt: How to Skateboard and Not Kill Yourself," and appeared in such videos as "Almost: Round Three" and the "United by Fate" series. In 2015, Mullen penned the foreword to the book "Unemployable: 30 Years of Hardcore, Skate and Street." Among his other activities, he has done extensive public speaking, including a TED Talk at the University of Southern California in 2012; a talk at Pop!Tech's Sparks of Brilliance event in 2013; and two presentations for O'Reilly Media in Santa Clara, California in 2014. Mullen was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame in Anaheim, California in 2013.

Personal Life

In 2000, Mullen married Traci, a saleswoman at the former's company World Industries. The couple divorced in 2013. Mullen subsequently began a relationship with Lori Guidroz, a hairstylist in the film industry.

Beyond skateboarding, Mullen is interested in mathematics and computer coding. During a period of depression following his divorce, he learned Linux from an Australian hacker. Mullen has been involved with the MIT Media Lab and the Smithsonian Institution.

Real Estate

Rodney Mullen has periodically invested in residential real estate, most notably in Southern California. One of his best-documented transactions involved a hilltop adobe-style home in Ojai, which he sold for $1.25 million. The property sat on roughly 1.65 acres adjacent to forestry land and featured panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and valley. Built in the late 1970s and later updated, the split-level residence offered just over 2,000 square feet of living space, including two bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, open living and dining areas, and multiple outdoor patios. Mullen had purchased the home more than a decade earlier for approximately $740,000.

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