SLS Tempe: Street League Skateboarding Returns Home to Arizona

This is not a drill! This month, August 2026, skateboarding is coming home.

On August 29th, Street League Skateboarding (SLS) will be back where it started, in Tempe, Arizona. This huge SLS news represents more than just a standard skateboarding tournament. Instead, it's a celebration of where the sport started, and where it has the potential to go in the coming years.

SLS Tempe, presented by Stake.com, will take place at the Mullet Arena, according to TempeNews.com. The Mullet Arena is a 5,000 capacity venue which usually plays host to both men's and women's ice hockey and men's wrestling, and is home to the NBA G League's Valley Suns. It's a pretty new venue, having only opened in October 2022, but in addition to sporting events it also hosts concerts, with The Smiths legend, Morrissey, set to rock the arena in November this year.

"Returning to Tempe after more than a decade is incredibly special for SLS because Arizona has always been one of the most influential skateboarding communities in the world," said Tal Cooperman, the Chief Marketing Officer at Thrill Sports, as reported by ABC15.com.

Tickets for the event are selling fast, with some standard general admission tickets still available from $24, and VIP packages going for as much as $129 on Ticketmaster.

A history of skateboarding in Arizona

If you were asked to name a few things that immediately spring to mind when you think of Arizona, you might say the Cardinals, the Grand Canyon, or one of the state's major cities like Phoenix or Tucson. If you're not already a big fan of the sport, Skateboarding is probably pretty low on your list, forgivable. But believe it or not, Arizona is a major player in the history of skateboarding, so it's no surprise that SLS Arizona is such a big deal.

The history of skateboarding in Arizona can be traced as far back as the 1960s, when the first official skate park in the United States opened up. Named Dry Surf, Tempe's pioneering skate park debuted in 1965, and it revolutionized the sport forever.

Before this, skateboarding was mainly only popular in California. And it makes sense: surfers were simply trying to find a way to transfer the feeling of being on the waves, onto dry land.

Skateboarding is so important in Tempe, that Dry Surf has been given its own exhibit at the Tempe History Museum, and skateboarding is so deeply embedded in Tempe culture, that the record label JFA has its own skateboarding brand. With all of this considered, you should be able to understand why SLS being back in Arizona is such a significant event for the sport as a whole.

What is Street League Skateboarding?

Street League Skateboarding (abbreviated to SLS) is a major professional street skating tournament, founded in 2010 by pro skateboarder, Rob Drydek. In the past 15 years, SLS has exploded in popularity, from a series of standalone events, to a global series, having taken place in locations as far flung as Paris, Brasilia, and Las Vegas.

When Rob Drydek conceptualized SLS, he envisioned an event with standardized courses, set judging criteria, and of course big prizes. For the first edition, he partnered with major brands like ESPN, for a series of four events, and the final took place in glamorous Las Vegas, complete with a top prize of $200,000.

The first ever SLS event was hosted in Glendale, Arizona, which is why this year's return to the state is so significant. Nyjah Huston was the winner of the first event, serving as a real kick start to his career as a professional skateboarder.

Top Skaters at Street League Skateboarding Tempe

SLS Tempe will bring together an array of top skateboarding talent from far and wide, but some local skateboarders are amongst the hottest on the bill. If you're interested in betting on SLS Tempe, you might want to put your money behind one of these top skaters.

Jagger Eaton-Trained at Kids That Rip in Mesa

25 year old Jagger Eaton comes from Mesa, AZ, and he's been competing in skateboarding tournaments since he was a child. He started skating when he was just four years old, and became the youngest X Games competitor ever, in 2012 when he was 11. In 2023, Eaton had a big win at the Street & Park World Championships in the UAE, and in 2024 he continued his success with a silver medal at the Paris Olympics.

Paige Heyn-Tempe-born Pro

Paige Heyn is a rising star on the skateboarding scene, and she was born right here in Tempe, so you might say a love of 'boarding is in her blood. Heyn won the USA Skateboarding National title in 2022, and took 5th place at XG Ventura 2024. She even competed for Team USA in the Paris Olympics in 2024, where she placed 6th.

Dashawn Jordan-Co-Founder of Faces Skate Shop in Tempe

Dashawn Jordan, from Chandler, AZ is known for his unique approaches, like grinding up handrails that other people choose to grind down! He's been skateboarding since he was in middle school, and took part in the World Cup of Skateboarding in 2016 and 2017. Just like Jagger Eaton and Paige Heyn, he's part of Team USA for skateboarding. In addition to skateboarding, and owning his Skate Shop, Faces, he's also an aspiring singer, rapper, and music producer.

Nyjah Huston-SLS Superstar

If we could add just one more skater to our wishlist for SLS Tempe, it would be Nyjah Huston. While he hasn't confirmed his participation yet, we can dream. Huston is an absolute legend of the skateboarding world. And with more than 5 million followers on Instagram, he's more than just a niche athlete. It would feel like a full circle moment, if 15 years after his victory at the first ever SLS event in Glendale, Huston were to come back and claim the crown again in Tempe.

Stepping a little further afield, skateboarders from outside of AZ will travel for the event, including some major, internationally recognized names.

Angelo Caro-Latin American Skating Hero

Peru's Angelo Caro is one of Latin America's key emerging talents in the world of skateboarding. He's been skating since he was a child, and began his professional career in 2015, at the age of 16. As skateboarding in Peru doesn't have quite the history and heritage that the sport has here in Arizona, Caro had to push himself to find his own spots and architecture to perfect his craft. In 2015, he competed for Peru at the Red Bull Skate Arcade final and claimed an outright victory at 2019's Mystic Cup in Prague, Czech Republic. More recently he scooped second place at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile in 2023.

Chaz Ortiz-Due an SLS win?

Illinois' Chaz Ortiz hasn't been particularly active in recent years, but he has a lot of impressive results in his history. While he's never placed first at an SLS event, he's come close, with second place finishes at two separate SLS Ontario events, and a third place at the SLS Super Crown competition in Newark. So, will the Tempe event be the one where Ortiz finally claims the crown? Only time will tell.

Chris Cole-Decades of Experience

Chris Cole is a veteran of the skateboarding world. Born in 1982, his career has spanned more than two decades,that's longer than some of his competitors have been alive. Hailing from Lander in Pennsylvania, Cole has won a slew of medals, including podium finishes at previous SLS events. He even took home the gold medal at the SLS X Games in Munich, and the SLS Super Crown Finals in Newark. Just like Nyjah Huston, Chris Cole took part in the very first edition of SLS, in Glendale, so in a way this year's event is a form of homecoming for him as well.

Skateboarding Betting Odds & Markets

So, the final question on everyone's lips is probably "can I bet on SLS Tempe?". And we're happy to report that it's a resounding yes! Street League Skateboarding Tempe is sponsored by Stake, so that's where you should head to check all of the odds, and place your bets on exactly who you think will come out on top. If you're following the action live, the betting odds will change by the minute, to reflect everything that's actually happening.

Before you can bet on Street League Skateboarding Tempe results, you need to understand how the competition is scored. Put simply, there are five judges, and they each rate each skateboarder's performance based on a scale of 0-100. The competitors' scores are ranked against each other in each round, with those with the highest scores progressing, leading to several knockout rounds, and a final.

Skateboarding judges look for a few key criteria when they're evaluating the performance of each skater, and the more familiar you are with this, the more confident you can be with your bets. Judges care about the complexity and difficulty of the tricks; how cleanly the tricks are landed; the mix of different types of tricks, like flips, grinds, and slides; the personal flair, style, and confidence of the skater; and the use of different obstacles on the course, rather than sticking to one area.

SLS betting may not be quite as popular as betting on major sports like football or hockey, but as Stake and other sites offer betting markets, it can be a fun way to engage with events like SLS Tempe, even if you can't be there in person. There are a few main markets to look out for when you're betting on skateboarding:

• Outright winner: This is probably the easiest skateboarding market to understand, so it's a good one to stick with if you're new to betting (or new to skateboarding). It's a simple wager on who will be the outright winner of the entire event.
• Podium finish: Skateboarding events usually crown a top three, so a bet on a podium finish is a wager that your chosen contestant will finish in the top three.
• Head to head: These are bets that one specific skateboarder will place higher than another. For example, you might want to wager that Jagger Eaton will place above Chris Cole.

We'd recommend checking out Stake as soon as the odds are available for Street League Skateboarding Arizona, so that you can get a feel for the odds and markets that are available. If you're new to betting, you can simply follow these steps to get going:

• Use a link on this page to sign up for your Stake account
• Sign up for your new account using basic details, or your existing Google or Facebook account
• Make your first deposit using the payment method of your choice
• Don't forget to claim your welcome bonus!
• Search for Street League Skateboarding in the sports section
• Find the competitor your want to bet on and set your stake amount
• Use the option on your bet slip to confirm your bet

Final thoughts of SLS Tempe

SLS Tempe 2026 is sure to be one for the history books! With local and international names alike set to compete, there's entertainment galore, whether you're lucky enough to be there in person, or you're following the action online. Betting on SLS Tempe is available at Stake, no surprise, given that Stake is a major sponsor of the event. Following the event closely in advance, and getting to know the past results, form, and style of each skater is the ideal way to make sure you have all of the information before SLS starts. The more you know, the more informed betting decisions you can make whether you're betting on an outright winner, a podium finish, or a head to head result. You can set up your Stake account within a few minutes, so that you're ready to start placing your bets.