XGL Draft 2026: Chloe Covell Pick #1, Nyjah Huston Relegated to 8th — Skateboarding Has Changed Dimensions

On March 12 in Los Angeles, skateboarding history was rewritten. For the first time, the world’s best skaters were drafted into city teams, just like in major American leagues. Chloe Covell, 16, an Australian phenomenon, is the first pick in history. Nyjah Huston, the undisputed king of street, falls to 8th. Team sports just entered skateboarding.

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The First Draft in Skateboarding History

You had to see the event to understand what was at stake. Cosm Los Angeles, 500 guests, GMs in suits — or almost. Forty athletes drafted out of 180 who applied, split into four city teams in a five-round snake draft. Pure NBA transplanted into the skateboarding world.

The X Games League (XGL) is the most ambitious project in the discipline’s history. A year-round, co-ed league, with geolocated franchises, contracts, a salary cap, and now a draft. The four clubs — XC New York, XC Los Angeles, XC Tokyo, XC São Paulo — each selected 10 athletes. Skateboarding and BMX mixed. Men and women on the same roster. The model no action sports league had dared to attempt before.

Chloe Covell #1: The Message Sent

Steve Rodriguez, GM of XC New York, didn’t hesitate for a second. Pick number 1 in X Games League history: Chloe Covell, 16, Australia. The girl who turned the SLS world upside down these past two years. Small, precise, capable of pulling off tricks no one in her male crew attempts.

The message is clear: in the XGL, age and pedigree don’t matter. What matters is potential over the next three seasons. Covell is 16 with a three-year contract. At 19, she’ll be in the prime of her career. Rodriguez played the long game. This is basketball front office applied to street skateboarding.

The following picks confirm the trend: Tom Schaar (XC Los Angeles), Arisa Trew — 8x X Games gold — (XC Tokyo), and Gui Khury, the Brazilian prodigy kid with 15 X Games medals to his name (XC São Paulo). Four picks, four champion profiles.

Nyjah Huston at 8th: The Fall of an Empire

And then there’s Nyjah. 15 X Games golds. The highest-paid rider on the circuit for ten years. The man who redefined street skating in the 2010s. 8th pick.

No drama, no humiliation — but a strong signal. Nyjah is 31, fractured his skull in 2025, and GMs clearly calculated the risk. In a draft that commits contracts for two or three years, spending a high-end pick on an injured and aging athlete isn’t rational, even if that rider’s name is Nyjah Huston.

This 8th pick says something profound about the evolution of competitive skateboarding. The Ginwoo Onodera generation — 16 years old and 7 tricks at 9+ at SLS Sydney — is writing the new rules. Nyjah remains a living legend. But teams are betting on the future.

The 4 Teams and Their GMs: A Dream Cast

What’s striking about the XGL is the choice of general managers. Steve Rodriguez leads XC New York — the founder of 5Boro Skateboards, 30 years in the industry, New York streetwear and skateboarding in his blood. Sharalee « Haze » Hazen takes the helm of XC Los Angeles, a local expert and connoisseur of the women’s circuit. Harumi Suzuki pilots XC Tokyo with the precision she’s known for in organizing Japanese competitions.

And then there’s Bob Burnquist, GM of XC São Paulo. The man who jumped megamamps over the Grand Canyon, now a franchise manager. Brazil picking up Gui Khury in the first round is smart territorial placement. Brazilian skateboarding culture has been on fire since the Tokyo Olympics — Burnquist knows exactly what he has on his hands.

Each drafted athlete receives a base salary of 30,000 dollars for the season. To which are added crypto signing bonuses via Exodus, the league’s partner. We’re talking about a complete professional model, not a one-off event.

The 2026 Season: Sacramento, Tokyo, New Orleans

The kickoff is on June 26 in Sacramento. Then X Games Japan on July 4 and 5. And the season finale on July 24-26 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans — 73,000 seats. The Super Bowl arena for skateboarding. They’re not messing around.

The team that accumulates the most points over the three stops wins the first XGL title in history. To watch: how teams will manage the skateboarding/BMX cohabitation in rosters, and how inter-city rivalries will build on the road. These are the ingredients for a sports narrative that skateboarding has never had.

To follow the rest of the competitive news before the XGL launch, SLS Los Angeles arrives on April 4 with Nyjah and Ginwoo face-to-face. The perfect warm-up before summer.