Is it possible the greatest skateboarder of all time doesn't get ENOUGH love??? That's what skate superstar Ryan Sheckler thinks ... telling TMZ Sports he thinks Tony Hawk isn't appreciated enough by the younger generation.
Thursday marked the 20th anniversary of Hawk completing the first ever 900 at the X Games .. so we asked Shecks to weigh in on the impact the accomplishment that had on the skate community.
"That was the big deal ... and it's still a big deal," Sheckler said at his Skate For a Cause event in NYC.
"This generation doesn't give him as much credit as he deserves. Tony's the main reason a lot of us can make money skateboarding. He paved the way."
Sheckler says Hawk's accomplishments gave him a platform to help the community ... his Foundation donated $10k to the Harold Hunter Foundation to help keep kids skating and out of trouble.
"Now, this is the product of what they created."
We also spoke with Shecks about skateboarding at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and what that means for the future of the sport.