05/23/2026
Last Friday evening’s Skateboarding Hall of Fame at Vans HQ in Costa Mesa, CA was a bit overwhelming for me. I was stoked to be there, but I was riddled with anxiety and in the moment I opted to forego my prepared speech up on stage. I knew that these words below wouldn’t fit into the allotted 90 seconds in accepting my induction into the Hall with others that night so I winged it and I botched it. So please read my words below.
First and foremost, I dedicate this moment and this award to my loving mom Ardine Kanights. She passed away peacefully 10 months ago last July. She was my biggest fan and supporter ever since I brought a skateboard home in the summer of 1975. My mother always encouraged me to seek out things that made me happy in life and she worked hard to provide for both me and my brother growing up in San Francisco.
I also must make a point to thank my beautiful and wonderful wife of 21 years, Donna who has been my biggest supporter and teammate in this journey. Her hard work has been full of sacrifice and has allowed me to continue to travel the world photographing skateboarding’s tours and its largest global events including X Games, Vans Park Series, Dew Tours, and two Olympics — Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. I love you dearly Donna.
I’m honored and grateful to be included within this year’s list of 2026 Skateboarding Hall of Fame inductees. Most of them I’ve been friends with for many years and I continue to greatly respect each and all of them. Congratulations!
At the early age of twelve, skateboarding provided me with not only physical entertainment and activity, it presented to me and my friends, Tony and Tommy Guerrero, Joe Fong, Aaron Lasnover, Michael Brown, Gordon and Julian Levinson and Ray Meyer and others a means of transportation around the city, But Importantly, skateboarding provided all of us confidence, and it furthered my growing interest in photography at the same time.
I fully acknowledge that I stand the shoulders of many others in this moment. Visually inspired by the skaters, image makers, and scene builders that skated and composed images years before me. Those early skateboarding magazines grabbed my attention and their monthly pages filled with photos by Warren Bolster, Craig Stecyk, James Cassimus, Glen Friedman, Jim Goodrich, Craig Fineman, Wynn Miller, and Ted Terrebonne fueled my interest both as an upstart skateboarder and photographer. As kids, we rarely saw skate films. And video content was still years away. It was the power of action photography from the aforementioned lens masters that drove our progression and imaginations. One photo has the power to move a generation and it was the many impactful and inspiring skateboarding images from these guys that did just that.
And through my participation in skateboarding and photography, I eventually met Kevin Thatcher where he offered me a job as the first intern at the then growing Thrasher Magazine in May of 1983. Everything began to gain momentum from there on out. My skateboarding progressed as did my knowledge and skills for magazine production. As mentioned previously, skateboarding provided me confidence at a young age, but it was the father figure of Fausto Vitello that leaned hard on me and fueled me to strive and go for it. M**o and KT made sure that they steered me in the right direction as well and I’m thankful for all of the tough lessons I learned during those early years as the magazine.
Fast forward forty five years and I’ve been fortunate to travel all over the world through the vast, progressive, and connective energy of skateboarding both on the board and behind the lens.
Sincere and heartfelt thanks go out to my wonderful mother Ardine Kanights, my father Daniel Kanights and my brother Mark Kanights, my loving and beautiful wife Donna Murakami-Kanights, Kenny and Shawn Fraser, Tony and Tommy Guerrero, Kathy Guerrero, Michael Brown, Ray Meyer, Joe Fong, Barryn Makapagal, Steve Ruge, Kevin Thatcher, M**o, Fausto Vitello, Gwynn, Tony, and Sally Vitello, Eric Swenson, Ed Riggins, Matt Etheridge, Pushead, Jerry Madrid, Beau Brown, John Malvino, Paul Schmitt, Chuck Hults, Jay Henry, Billabong, Bob Hurley, Paul Gomez, Jim Muir, Kevin Ancell, Jeff Klindt, Jim Thiebaud, Richard Novak, Bob Denike, Brian Brannon, Tobin Yelland, Luke Ogden, Ed Templeton, Chris Ortiz, Grant Brittain, Don and Danielle Bostick, Dave Duncan, Independent Truck Co., Jamie Owens, Bruno Musso, Rodney Smith, Chris Nieratko, Chris Pastras, Canon Photo Equipment, Chris Sprouls, Tom Inouye, Chris Strople, Doug Saladino, Jeff Ament, Cody Dresser, Joey Shigeo Muellner, Matt Bennett, Nate Greenwood, Rob Washburn, Jascha Muller, Jeff Landi, Jim Thiebaud, Dennis Busenitz, Mark and Danyel Scott, Kevin Kowalski, Cody Lockwood, Tony Hawk, Ray Barbee, Lance Mountain, Atiba Jefferson, Hass Aminian, The Skateboarding Hall of Fame, Laura Thornhill Caswell, Buddy Nichols, Michael Ballard, Chris Pastras, Steve Van Doren, Peter Dericks, and of course, Tony Alva who has always been the genesis of stoke for me.
And to everyone that I’ve met and had the pleasure to skate and hang with, travel with, and photograph over the past five decades - thank you! Much love and stoke! ❤️⚡️
- BK
