Nyjah Huston

On the one hand, skateboarder Nyjah Huston is the quintessential counterculture sports star with a story even the best marketing team could not make up: He spent different parts of his childhood cut off from society, living off the land, perfecting his trade in a family-owned indoor skateboard park. On the other, Huston is as typical a mainstream pitchman as can be: Already teeming with an air of rebellious authenticity, he is debuting a potentially disruptive skateboard brand that figures only to increase visibility for an ever-growing business built around his own personality.

Skateboarding superstar Nyjah Huston says he understands the pressure Simone Biles is going through at the Olympics ... telling TMZ Sports people need to realize athletes are human, not emotionless robots. Biles shockingly withdrew from the gymnastics team finals on Tuesday ... citing her struggles with mental health affecting her performance.

Find out how Nyjah Huston is shaping the future and defining the next generation of leadership.

Nyjah Huston, the top-ranked skateboarder in the world, at his skate park in San Clemente.

Nyjah Huston's signature dreadlocks are stored in a box now, an artifact of his early fame. The effects of his complicated upbringing may not have been so easy to cut off. At 26, Nyjah belongs to the single-name realm of LeBron, Tiger and Serena. He is the second-most-famous skateboarder on the planet.