Paul Rodriguez is a famous American skateboarder going by the nickname P-Rod.
Early years
He was born in Tarzana in California on December 31, 1984.
P-Rod’s father is a famous Spanish comedian also called Paul Rodriguez, but the parents soon split so his mother Laura lived alone with him.
Since he was little he was in love with skateboarding, although for some time he wanted to start to play guitar and be like Jimi Hendrix.
He got his first skateboard when he was twelve, and from then he never stopped riding it. He was spending most of his time in the skate shop in his neighbourhood. In his interviews he often points out how he always sleept with his new board when he was little. He attended Birmingham High School in California but wasn’t interested in schooling at all.
Career development
The first team he joined was the team from the same shop where he spent all of his time, and it was in the period when everybody started noticing his special skateboarding skills.
By the time he was sixteen he became so amazing at his skating that he joined the famous City Stars. City Stars were led by a pro skateboarder Kareem Campbell. He was from Los Angeles and he soon realized that P-Rod has a natural talent for this sport. He was with The Stars until 2014.
In 2002 he was awarded with The Rookie of the Year Award.
His first gold medal from The X- game came to him when he was only 19 years old. That brought him fame and a very big contract with Nike.
All through boarding he was included in the board business because producing and designing boards is a way to advertise boarders. Of course, it is also a way to finance and to lead the lifestyle they all like.
P-Rod’s first skateboard with his signature was released with The Girl Skateboard Company and included Spanish words on it, to what he was very proud of. He always emphasized how he is proud of his Spanish and Mexican roots, althoguh he doesn’t know to speak a word of Spanish.
Later that year he released his own line called Plan B, and one of those boards was made in a collaboration with the famous brand Nike. The company was co-owned by his team member and since Paul wanted to have something that would be only his own, he left it the same year.
The very next year, in 2014, he opened up his first business called Primitive Skateboarding. He is sponsored by many world known companies like Nike, Nixon, Venture and a lot more.
He got himself his own skateboard park for practising and to have some peaceful place for making new stunts and moves.
This year he will be joining Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory called The Summer X Games.
Personal life
Paul was in a relationship with a fashion model Rainbow and they have a child together named Heaven Rodriguez. Today, he is in a relationship with Rachel Metz, a blogger and a youtuber.
Philantropic work
He created a unique skateboard in collaboration with a famous singer and artist Jay Z. The board has lyrics from Jay Z song „Where I’m From“ and it is made for supporting The Tony Hawk Foundation.
This foundation is trying to build skateboard parks in communities with low incomes and is trying to move children from bad influences and interest them into skateboarding.
Quick summary
Full name: Paul Martin Rodriguez Jr.
Date of Birth: December 31, 1984
Birth Place: Tarzana, California
Age: 33
Proffession: Professional Skateboarder
Height: 1,74 m
Weight: 72 kgs
Net worth: $ 6 million