Tyshawn Jones has discussed being Supreme's first-ever sponsored skateboarder, and how the deal "flipped a switch" that led to other athletes being paid by the clothing brand.
Visiting to Complex News for a sit-down with Izzy Izzo, the professional boarder was asked about wearing clothes for the company during his early days, and how his mother was the one who taught him to understand his value.
"I come from a family of hustlers," Jones said, before explaining how his mother’s unwavering drive would occasionally embarrass him. "I would cry 'cause I was like 11 and I would just be so frustrated with my mom."
He eventually understood that everything his mother was doing was just because she knew what was best for him. "I was making $500 a month, and that was 6,000 a year. I was like 12 though," he recalled. "And she used to be like, she'd be on Google looking up their net worth and stuff and she'd be like, 'This n***a worth $40 million. He ain't paying my son $500 a month. They taking advantage of you.'"
Jones eventually approached Supreme after another company offered to pay him to wear their clothes. "I was like, 'Someone else is offering me this. Do you guys pay people?' And they were like, 'No, but like let us have a meeting and we'll get back to you.' So, I feel like that really like flipped a switch," he recalled.
"Because they probably in their mind, they seen what they had and if they didn't put like some type of funding though it, like small money behind it, they would have lost that and it wouldn't have been probably what was going on for all of those years."
In May last year, Jones filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Supreme for defamation and contract breach.
According to court documents reviewed by Complex, the 26-year-old pro skateboarder hit the streetwear brand with a $25 million lawsuit and accused them of abruptly terminating his $1 million-a-year sponsorship deal and making defamatory comments about him to third-party brands and stakeholders within the industry.
"I am saddened it has come to this, but I have a duty to myself and my career, and feel a responsibility to the next generation of skateboarders to stand up for what is right," Jones told the New York Post in a statement.
"Supreme’s success has been shaped in large part by the contributions of young talent, and I believe those contributions deserve to be respected," he added.