Who Is Paul Rodriguez?
Someone who likely needs no introduction to fellow skaters, Paul Rodriguez Jr. AKA “P-Rod,” is a professional skateboarder and X-Games champion.
He was born on December 31, 1984, in Tarzana, California. Rodriguez is the son of Mexican- American standup comedian of the same name, Paul Rodriguez Sr. P-Rod is the middle child of the family, and has an older sister and younger brother. He currently resides in Northridge, California, and has a daughter with partner Rainbow Alexander named Heaven Love.
Rodriguez is best known for his very successful professional skateboarding career. He is considered one of the more accomplished and decorated skateboarders, competing in 14 X-Games and winning eight medals (4 gold, 3 silver, and 1 bronze). He also received the 2002 “Rookie of the Year” award from the Transworld SKATEboarding publication and has starred in a number of Tony Hawk’s video games.
Paul Rodriguez’s net worth is estimated to be somewhere around six million USD. How did he earn that money, and where did his love for skateboarding begin? Let’s find out!
Humble Beginnings
Rodriguez was given his first skateboard as a Christmas present at the age of twelve by his parents. It was just two years later when Rodriguez was recruited to a team by a local skateboard shop called One Eighteen.
He was sponsored by the team after he had asked a friend to submit a ” Sponsor Me” video to the team manager Netkin on his behalf. Netkin has stated that he could see that Rodriguez was going to be a future “superstar.” His first official company sponsor was DNA Skateboards.
At age sixteen, Rodriguez started skateboarding for the team City Stars. Only an amateur at the time, Rodriguez was featured in the video Street cinema, an honor reserved for the most respected members of the team.
Given his quick rise through the ranks, going on to compete at the X-Games felt like a natural progression of P-Rod’s skating career.
X-Games Career and Results
Rodriguez, Jr. began competing in the X-Games in 2003, achieving a bronze medal in his very first X-Games competition. From there, P-Rod became an absolutely dominant force in the skating world, taking the gold medal at the next two Los Angeles X-Games before taking a break until 2008.
In the 2008 competition, he finished 2nd place overall, which is extremely impressive considering he had just come back from a multiyear competition break. P-Rod then went on to compete sporadically every few years up until 2013.
Overall, Rodriguez, Jr. earned four gold medals, three silvers, and one bronze before wrapping up his X-Games career. While he competed in the X-Games, he also attended several other, albeit slightly smaller, competitions where he achieved similarly high results.
Given his stellar competitive record and his rising popularity, the sponsorships which are a major driver of his wealth and net worth were only a matter of time.
Sponsorships
For the past six years, Paul Rodriguez, Jr. has been sponsored by the king of the sporting world, Nike. Currently a senior team rider, P-Rod has released eight different skate shoes and has appeared in many commercials and music videos.
Having released eight different sneaker models puts Paul Martin Rodriguez, Jr. into the ranks of the most elite Nike-sponsored athletes ever. In fact, only four sponsored athletes have ever released that many sneakers, and the other three are all basketball superstars. No skater has come close to this level of success and notoriety, except for the legendary Tony Hawk himself.
In addition to his success with the Nike sponsorship, P-Rod is also sponsored by Target, becoming the second-ever professional skateboarder to become a partner of the brand.
Telecom giant AT&T also shared a short-lived sponsorship. P-Rod entered and won a competition where the prize was a feature in a promotional video for AT&T, and while the two had a successful partnership, they have not worked together again since.
Building His Success – Paul Rodriguez’s Net Worth
Given his successful competitive career and his explosive popularity with some of the sporting world’s biggest sponsors, it was a given that eventually P-Rod would expand his professional career by investing in skateboarding companies. As of June 2014, P-Rod is the owner of the “Primitive” skateboard brand, the “Markisa” apparel brand, and finally, a company that exclusively produces skateboard bearings “Andale.”
Most of these brands are heavily focused in Los Angeles which has an enduring and rapidly growing skateboarding culture, possibly more so than any other city in the United States. While skateboard fanatics probably know of these brands, the rest can be forgiven if they live outside the greater LA area.
Creating a Legacy
In a short amount of time, P-Rod has become one of the most successful skaters and entrepreneurs of all time. It’s no wonder Paul Rodrigez’s net worth has exploded over the years to an estimated height of six million USD.
Rodriguez, Jr. will be known as one of the most successful professional street skateboarders of all time, and rightfully so. Paul has shown intense competitive and entrepreneurial drives that are synonymous with lasting and enduring success.
Paul has even been featured in several video games and films where he has starred alongside other legends such as Tony Hawk and Rob Dyrdek. Seeing as Rodriguez, Jr. hasn’t even seen his 40th birthday yet, he will almost certainly continue his successful life and career and go down as one of the legendary skaters of the 21st century.
What will come next for P-Rod is anyone’s guess, although it looks like he may be entering the music arena as a rapper and recording artist. If he sees the same level of success in music as he has in skating, his growth in net worth is just getting started.