Kevin Durant is the latest high profile athlete to invest in pickleball, the growing phenomenon that’s attracting big names and big dollars.
You would be forgiven if you’re yet to become familiar with pickleball.
But if big names continue to engage with ownership opportunities, then get ready to hear a lot more about it.
Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant jumped onto the bandwagon recently, joining a list of high-profile names that already own a Major League Pickleball (MLP) team. On Thursday, Durant and manager Rich Kleiman were announced as co-owners for an expansion team that’s set to join the 2023 MLP season.
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In just its second year, the league is flourishing with 12 teams; and it’ll be further bolstered with the addition of four expansion sides to the competition next season. It’s estimated the total prize money for the 2023 season is expected to exceed $3.2 million.
“We really want to leave our mark from day one,” Durant shared on social media.
Durant’s move follows Tom Brady and four-time grand slam winner Kim Clijsters, who earlier this month announced that they too purchased another expansion team in the MLP. LeBron James, Draymond Green, Kevin Love and former NFL quarterback Drew Brees are among the other names who have also invested in the growing league.
Often described as a fusion of tennis, ping-pong and badminton, pickleball has been around since the 60s. The racquet sport is played on a smaller court than tennis, with players using a paddle and a perforated plastic ball.
Over recent years, the sport’s seen a gradual increase among people of all ages. But the beginning of the pandemic saw a spike in participation right across the United States.
According to a sports and fitness report released this year, there are 4.8 million pickleball players, or picklers. The growth seen over the last two years has helped pickleball become the country’s fast rising sport.
Its hype has risen to new levels, causing some to pit the rising sport against tennis. There are murmurs of an escalating battle between the two sports. The reasons include tennis broadcasters including the sport on their coverage, and traditional courts being “chopped up” to help with demand.
Closer to home, the latest trend has also found a home in Australia.
Sydney hosted the country’s first national pickleball competition back in 2018. Following this, a number of tournaments have been held since then. Perth native Morgan Evans has represented the country well, winning medals in both doubles and singles in the past few years. Evans coaches the best pickleball players, including the current fourth world ranked player Tyson McGuffin.
The rise of interest overtime has led to the establishment of the Pickleball Australia Association in 2020. It’s seen the creation of playing groups nationwide.
While the trend is gaining attraction now, the question remains whether pickleball will continue this positive trajectory.
Racquetball, another pickleball relative, saw a similar story back in the 70s where popularity boomed. But its eventual decline has seen the hype die down. Even cornhole, the simple concept of throwing a bean bag in a target, is yet to dominate as it had once been predicted to. This is despite ESPN providing coverage of its tournaments and professional players earning decent prize money.
In November, CBS will televise a two-hour pickleball tournament, hosted by Steven Colbert, featuring 16 celebrities. It’s an all-star lineup, including Will Ferrell, Kelly Rowland and Sugar Ray Leonard.
But as we wait to see what’s next for pickleball, it’s looking likely that Kevin Durant won’t be the last to invest in the growing phenomenon.
