Putting those hawk-like reflexes to good use! Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk is “an expert in creating lists of things people don’t know about me,” the sports icon joked to Us Weekly while compiling just that.
Ever since Hawk, 54, burst onto the scene in the ‘90s, he’s become a cultural mainstay. While millennials know him best as a star athlete and video game connoisseur — the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series has been enormously popular for decades — the California native has also won over Gen Z due to his frequent social media posts about being awkwardly recognized (or not) in public.
“I recently got mistaken for Lance Armstrong and Tom Brady,” the athlete exclusively told Us about the latest mix-up. The public’s mistakes, however, are not Hawk’s most embarrassing moment — that incident occurred in front of his fans.
Keep scrolling to find out the X Games winner’s single most embarrassing moment, as well as his first job, special talent and much more:
1. My favorite place I’ve traveled to is Iceland.
2. I own a collection of movie props.
3. The first skateboard I received means the most to me. It was a hand-me-down from my older brother. We donated it to the Smithsonian 10 years ago.
4. On a typical Sunday, you’ll find me at home with my kids [Riley, 29, Spencer, 23, Keegan, 21, and Kadence, 14] — whichever ones are in town that weekend — and/or skating at my leisure.
5. I recently got mistaken for Lance Armstrong and Tom Brady.
6. My advice for aspiring skateboarders is [to] keep challenging yourself and try to learn different terrains/disciplines.
7. I can blow bubbles using only the saliva in my mouth.
8. The award or accomplishment that has meant the most to me was Thrasher’s Skater of the Year [in 1990].
9. My first job was a paper route at age 11.
10. The best meal I make in the kitchen is an egg and cheese bagel.
11. The best advice I’ve ever received is, “Do what you love.”
12. My favorite item in my wardrobe are skate shoes that look semi-formal.
13. My first car was a 1977 Honda Civic Hatchback.
14. If I weren’t a skateboarder, I’d be in video editing.
15. The first concert I went to was The Cars.
16. The TV show I’m loving right now is The Old Man.
17. My most embarrassing moment was losing at my own video game in front of a live audience.
18. My favorite movie is Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
19. My worst injury from skateboarding was a broken femur in March 2022.
20. My favorite book is The Clash.
21. The most common misconception about me is that I’m retired.
22. I’m an expert in creating lists of things people don’t know about me.
23. I recently partnered with Hot Wheels to create a line of fingerboards and accessories for all skill levels, including some wildly creative playset themes. It’s available at Walmart.
24. The best present I’ve ever received was my first signature skateboard, which I gave to a friend when we were young. He recently gave it back to me.
25. My most starstruck moment was meeting Muhammad Ali — and he knew my name.
