Laird Hamilton -- It's Okay If Lance Armstrong Cheated

Surfing legend Laird Hamilton thinks it's BS that Lance Armstrong got stripped of his Tour de France titles, but not because he thinks doping is wrong ... but because everyone was doing it.

Hamilton took the unusual position when our our photog bumped into him yesterday in Malibu ... saying he believes that if everyone is cheating in a sport, then it's "still an even playing field, it's still the best guy wins."

Hamilton also said he thinks the public coming down on athletes who are found to be cheating isn't right, saying, "I think it's a little bit of hypocrisy that we think these athletes are sterile people that are eating dry toast and then they're performing at these high levels. Rocket ships need rocket fuel to go to space. Athletes need the fuel they need to do what they need to do and let's be realistic about that."