Tony Hawk Purchased Bitcoin in 2012 After Reading About the Silk Road Marketplace

Tony Hawk, the American professional skateboarder often referred to as ‘Birdman,’ discussed bitcoin at the Bitcoin 2021 conference in Miami and told the crowd he got into the crypto economy in 2012. Hawk said he heard about the crypto asset after reading about the Silk Road marketplace and at the time, he said to himself bitcoin is the “future of finance.”

Tony Hawk Discovered Bitcoin in 2012, Professional Skateboarder Gave Some to Charity in 2014

The popular skateboarder Tony Hawk spent some time with bitcoiners this past weekend at the multi-day Bitcoin 2021 conference held in Miami. During Hawk’s speech at the event, he explained how he was “living the dream” when he was skating for a living. He compared this passion to people involved with bitcoin and said:

I embraced the idea that skateboarding was for misfits. I felt like a misfit as a kid. I felt like I found my community, my tribe.

At the conference, Hawk discussed the cryptocurrency revolution with the cofounder of Augur Jeremy Gardner. The skateboarder further revealed he is also auctioning 50 limited edition bitcoin skateboards as well for charity. There’s also a single limited edition Hawk-signed skateboard that says “End Fiat.”

While speaking to the crowd in Miami, Hawk noted that he discovered bitcoin during the time when the Silk Road marketplace existed back in 2012. The skateboarder said he was reading about the Silk Road situation and was fascinated by the technology.

“I was reading about the chaos of [the] Silk Road when that was all happening and I was fascinated with the payment component they had and it was obviously bitcoin,” Hawk said during his talk. “There was an anonymous side to it but it was also just the idea that it was very fast and international and to me, it was the future of finances so I immediately researched how to buy bitcoin. I wasn’t on [the] Silk Road,” he added. “But I did buy bitcoin in 2012.” The popular skateboarder continued:

I held, pretty much. I didn’t do much with it. I was watching it obviously. I was holding on to my Bitcoin and charity water was the first charity that I knew of that accepted bitcoin as a donation so in my infinite wisdom I gave him four back in 2012.

Special Meet-and-Greet Sessions With Hawk Helps Fund Global Skateparks

When Hawk donated the funds to charity water it was back in 2014, and the organization’s CEO Scott Harrison detailed it was sold to fund the charity for far less than what BTC is worth today.

Hawk also did a meet-and-greet session with a number of conference attendees who held a special pass. Some of the proceeds from the meet-and-greet special passes will be donated to The Skatepark Project nonprofit, which helps build local skateparks worldwide.