Pickleball

A new sport has taken the U.S. by storm and caught the eyes of NBA All-Stars.

This year, James and the Yankees went in on AC Milan, an Italian soccer club. [a new sport that has captured the United States](https://www.si.com/sports-illustrated/2022/05/24/pickleball-fastest-growing-sport-daily-cover), so much so that several NBA stars have decided to invest in a professional venture. The 2022 season finale will be in Columbus, Ohio from Oct. This is not the first time James has invested in a professional sport. [LeBron James](https://www.si.com/nba/player/lebron-james), Draymond Green and Kevin Love are among businessmen investing in Major League Pickleball. “Having SC Holdings, LRMR Ventures, and their incredible group as owners and investors in Major League Pickleball is not just great for MLP, it’s a watershed moment for pickleball in general,” MLP Founder Steve Kuhn said in a statement.

Major League Pickleball announced Wednesday that an investment group led by LeBron James and his business partner secured the rights to own a team.

[surpass $1 billion in June](https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2022/06/03/lebron-james-billionaire-forbes/7496149001/). In 2015, he [reached a lifetime deal with Nike](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/cavaliers/2015/12/07/lebron-james-reaches-lifetime-deal-nike/76942428/). James also has stakes in the smart gym company Tonal and ride-hailing service Lyft, reports Forbes, which notes he has cash and other investments totaling $500 million. [announced Wednesday](https://www.majorleaguepickleball.net/news/world-class-athletes-and-leaders-including-lrmr-ventures-sc-holdings-draymond-green-and-kevin-love-to-buy-new-team-in-major-league-pickleball) that an investment group led by the Lakers star and his business partner Maverick Carter has secured the rights to own a pro pickleball team. “To see the sport growing in communities all over is really exciting, and we’re looking forward to bringing our expertise together to try and build a championship team.” This investment and the platform that this group provides will significantly help us with our goal to reach 40 million pickleball players by 2030.”

Some cities are building dedicated public Pickleball courts, but for most players they're using already-available tennis courts. This involves either lowering ...

Its their belief that the game causes minimal impact, especially on hard courts, and believe it’s introducing non-traditional players to racket-based sports, which will naturally lead to an increased interest in tennis too. The difference is significant when compared to a tennis ball, because it bounces much less due to the reduced flex. Similar incidents have been reported in other parts of the country too, where players of both games have become heated at sharing the space. It’s played on a court with similar markings to tennis, but at less than one-third the size, and much closer to badminton in its dimensions. The trio are, without question, the most notable owners in MLP — and their involvement will undoubtably cause more people to pay attention to the sport. Pickleball is becoming one of the fastest-growing sports phenomenons in U.S.

Four-times NBA champion LeBron James is getting into the pickleball business, as his firm LRMR Ventures headlines a new ownership group buying a team with ...

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LeBron James is taking his talents to the pickleball court — sort of. The Los Angeles Lakers star leads a group of NBA players and businessmen investing in ...

Maverick Carter, James’ longtime friend and CEO of their entertainment brand SpringHill Company, SpringHill CMO Paul Rivera and investment firm SC Holdings and Relevent Sports Group co-owner and CEO Daniel Sillman are also among the ownership group, MLP announced Wednesday. [Los Angeles Lakers](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/lakers/) star leads a group of NBA players and businessmen investing in Major League Pickleball, along with [Golden State Warriors](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/warriors/) forward [Draymond Green](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/draymond-green-qWchQbJAR0YQNMyV/) and [Cleveland Cavaliers](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/cavaliers/) forward [Kevin Love](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/kevin-love-P7SloIegCGEE6wpm/). “Having SC Holdings, LRMR Ventures, and their incredible group as owners and investors in Major League Pickleball is not just great for MLP, it’s a watershed moment for pickleball in general,” MLP founder Steve Kuhn said in a statement.

LeBron James, Draymond Green, and Kevin Love are part of a group buying a Major League Pickleball team. The sport has seen huge growth.

every month — and MLP aims to grow pickleball to 40 million players by 2030. It is most popular among the 18-34 demographic, which makes up 28.8% of all U.S. played pickleball in 2021, representing average annual growth of 11.5% over five years. [new places to play](https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci0IYRgB4Pd/) pickleball opening up in the U.S. [found](https://usapickleball.org/about-us/organizational-docs/pickleball-fact-sheet/) that 4.8 million people in the U.S. [linked up](https://frontofficesports.com/lebron-james-lrmr-ventures-and-sc-holdings-make-strategic-investment-in-canyon-bicycles/) before, co-leading a $29 million investment in Canyon Bicycles in July.

Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors 103-100 during a NBA basketball Western Let's see if LeBron and Draymond can bring this level of ...

The Association of Pickleball Professionals and the Professional Pickleball Association were competitors, with the PPA banning any player who plays for its rivals - including newcomers Major League Pickleball. Here are the current teams: The International Pickleball Federation doesn’t get along with the World Federation of Pickleball. [James Dator has an excellent explainer](https://www.sbnation.com/2022/9/28/23376610/pickleball-lebron-james-explained-tennis), but it’s basically tennis for children, played by adults. [NBA Finals](https://www.sbnation.com/nba-finals) matchups, a play-in game, countless Christmas games, and one world-famous crotch slap have built up intense animosity between the lines. But off the court, they’re best buddies, with Draymond signing with LeBron’s Klutch Sports agency and guest-starring on his HBO show, The Shop.

It's Sunday morning and Edmonds Playground in Fort Greene is alive with the thwumps of paddles, shuffles of sneakers and boom-baps of a Bluetooth speaker.

When one of the founders of the Pickle Pack, Chloe Rask, is asked how long she sees herself playing, she responds, “I have a kink to dink.” It can be played on tennis courts, but a “pickledome” utilizes only half the space of a regulation tennis court. But nothing cements status quite like celebrity cosigns, which is why seeing Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney and their ilk embracing the game speaks louder than the reverberation of a direct hit. While it was clearly a ploy by the publication to appeal to more readers, diehard tennis fans balked. But don’t let the smiles deceive you — any one of these affable hipsters can turn fiercely competitive at the flick of a paddle. First organized by six players who started rallying in 2020 to escape the odd isolation of pandemia, the Pickle Pack has now collected over 35 regular players through word of mouth (and has now exceeded the limit of how many can be on a single group text).

LeBron James, Draymond Green, and Kevin Love are the new owners of a professional pickleball team.

joining Lakers co-owner Jim Buss who is a part of the ownership group. [Getty](https://www.tmz.com/2021/03/16/lebron-james-part-owner-boston-red-sox-maverick-carter-mlb-baseball/) [Drew Brees](https://www.tmz.com/people/drew-brees/) became the owner of [the Mad Drops Pickleball Club](https://www.tmz.com/2022/07/21/drew-brees-becomes-major-league-pickleball-team-owner-mad-drops/) in July ... and he's teaming up with a group of other hoops stars! [Kevin Love](https://www.tmz.com/people/kevin-love/), and his good friend and rival over the years, Warriors star [Draymond Green](https://www.tmz.com/people/draymond-green/). [LeBron James](https://www.tmz.com/people/lebron-james/) has a new team -- the four-time NBA champ is the newest owner of a professional pickleball team ...

The Greybull Recreation District began hosting adult pickleball open gyms in March after the sport was repeatedly requested on community surveys. Director ...

The town also hopes to find a grant to help fund the project. The Pritchards’ daughter Jeannie later brought home a flea-bitten pup she named Pickles after their sport, and several newspapers would go on to report the sport was named for the dog since it made for a more memorable story. A love of the game runs in the family. Pickleball was invented in the summer of 1965 when Washington State congressman Joel Pritchard and businessman Bill Bell returned to Pritchard’s home on Bainbridge Island to find their families sitting around bored. Swanson first played pickleball in Cheyenne in the 1990s. She said the community center’s twice-weekly pickleball open gyms have drawn a crowd of regulars, including seasoned and new players.

On an autumnal Wednesday in Inverness, Cynthia Harland and Ginny Felch were chatting after their thrice weekly pickleball game at the First Valley tennis ...

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It has a professional league, celebrity investors and a tasty-sounding name. Pickleball, one of the United States' fastest-growing sports, further elevated ...

What are the rules? Game skill relies primarily on paddle/ball control and quick reflexes rather than a player’s sheer size and speed, opening the sport to a range of ages and skill levels. But what exactly is pickleball?

The Lakers star, who already owns stakes in the Red Sox, Penguins, Liverpool and AC Milan, joined a new ownership group in a professional pickleball league.

It noted an [annual report](https://sfia.org/resources/sfias-topline-report-shows-americans-inactivity-rate-declining/) from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association that described pickleball as “the fastest-growing sport over the last two years,” with a 39.3 percent growth rate in participation over that span. The four-time NBA champion joined Fenway Sports Group in 2021 as a partner, giving James stakes in such subsidiaries as the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC and Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing. The squads, with two men and two women apiece, are not associated with a specific geographic region. Something like a combination of tennis, table tennis and badminton, pickleball is played on a badminton-sized court with a net slightly lower than one for tennis. “Having SC Holdings, LRMR Ventures, and their incredible group as owners and investors in Major League Pickleball is not just great for MLP, it’s a watershed moment for pickleball in general,” MLP founder Steve Kuhn said in a statement. Investment firm SC Holdings is also part of the group.

Pickleball has become the fastest growing sport in the U.S., with 4.8 million players across the country in 2021 — a 15% increase from 2020.

Jim Buss, co-owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, is a minority owner of that team. "This investment and the platform that this group provides will significantly help us with our goal to reach 40 million pickleball players by 2030." "With this group, MLP aims to expand the community beyond its current participants into more diverse communities globally." and Canada in recreation centers, parks, schools and more. A majority of participants identify as "casual" players. Pickleball, which was invented in Washington state in 1965, combines elements of tennis, ping pong and badminton.

Pickleball had 4.8 million players in 2021 and is growing each year. Here's how Santa Rosa County is investing into the sport.

"It started out as a sport for seniors because it's easier on the knees and it's easier to play. to 8 p.m. "But it's becoming so popular that the younger generation is now starting to step in." So, the recommendation is going to be to leave them as is, with tennis courts, or possibly put in six pickleball courts (among) other options," said Gulf Breeze's Director of Parks and Recreation Jim Ponek. to 9:45 a.m. Pickleball can be played in singles or doubles, and part of its mass appeal is that the game is welcoming to players of all ages. And it is a slower game," Ponek said. She only picked up the sport once she took the job in Milton and she credits her short time playing pickleball with bringing her together with the group she plays with and helping her to build relationships with people she would not have otherwise met. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and starting at 11 a.m. It is played with a perforated plastic ball and paddles roughly twice the size of the ones used in table tennis. According to the 2022 Sports & Fitness Industry Association Single Sport Report on Pickleball, pickleball had 4.8 million players in 2021. I used to run, of course, when I was active duty," Molinero said.

Draymond Green teamed up with LeBron James and Kevin Love to invest in a new professional pickleball team.

“The thing I love about pickleball is you can play against anyone and get your a– kicked,” Green said. “I don’t lose too often,” he said. “It’s not like, ‘I’m a more superior athlete than you.’ I may step out there and you may totally kick my a–. But Kerr is in full support of Green diversifying his business portfolio. Green is among the wave of people who have recently picked up pickleball. Green joined forces with LeBron James and Kevin Love to invest in a new professional pickleball team.

LeBron James is now part of a pickleball team ownership group that includes fellow NBA players Kevin Love and Draymond Green. Pickleball is rapidly growing ...

Most of pickleball's core players — those who play more than eight times per year — are over age 65, but the game is getting younger, with the strongest growth among players under 55, according to SFIA. "With this group, MLP aims to expand the community beyond its current participants into more diverse communities globally." Pickleball is a tennis-like sport that is played inside and outside, with either a single player or two players on both sides of the net using paddles to hit the ball back and forth.

Northern California had its first professional pickleball tournament last weekend with the Association of Pickleball Professionals Sacramento Open at ...

Pickleball is all the rage and just received a professional endorsement. Basketball superstar LeBron James and his investment firm LRMV Ventures became the ...

MLP is [targeting](https://usapickleball.org/about-us/organizational-docs/pickleball-fact-sheet/) 40 million players by 2030. [nonprofit governing body](/lifestyle/sports/lebron-james-headlines-ownership-group-with-major-league-pickleball-2022-09-28/). Last year, more than 5 million people played Pickleball, a 15% increase from 2020, according to its

LeBron James is now part of a pickleball team ownership group that includes fellow NBA players Kevin Love and Draymond Green. Pickleball is rapidly growing ...

Most of pickleball's core players — those who play more than eight times per year — are over age 65, but the game is getting younger, with the strongest growth among players under 55, according to SFIA. "With this group, MLP aims to expand the community beyond its current participants into more diverse communities globally." Pickleball is a tennis-like sport that is played inside and outside, with either a single player or two players on both sides of the net using paddles to hit the ball back and forth.

The Cleveland Cavaliers champ has joined with former teammate Kevin Love and former championship opponent Draymond Green to form a new professional ...

Michael Lipp joins fellow pickleball players for a match at Fort Phoenix in Fairhaven. It is humbling and challenging. Frustrating and scary. Fracturing my ...

This year, Kim, a survivor, is busy promoting Pickleball for the Cure, a breast cancer fundraiser tournament Oct. Ideally, she's hoping someone else will pick up the mantle for the El Paseo Golf Cart Parade on Oct. Those planning facilities now should keep that in mind, and familiarize themselves with guidance under the Americans with Disability Act. Here is the link: If you are interested, please contact USA Pickleball Ambassador for Palm Desert Barbara Wintroub at [email protected] or email me at [email protected]. [competed in the U.S. A few months later, someone introduced me to a wheelchair pickleball program. [ in an interview with a Georgia sports publication](https://mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?i=688920&p=21): "The diagnosis was a shock to both my wife and me! Depending on one's situation, wheelchair activities might be the only option. It's inspiring to learn about people who use wheelchairs and play pickleball. It has given me great respect for wheelchair athletes and para-athletes. It is humbling and challenging.

The 2022 NBA season is just about upon, with media day happening earlier this week and the first preseason games scheduled for the weekend featuring the ...

While Green was a significant factor for the Warriors last season, he did get benched by head coach Steve Kerr in the NBA Finals due to his ineffectiveness on the court. Warriors’ ownership isn’t paying that amount for a player who’s just about at the end of his prime. As for Warriors’ All-Star forward Draymond Green, he’s got plenty of other things on his mind besides the start of a new season. Maybe pickleball on a national level is just a hot fad, but right now, the MLP is getting more eyes on their league because of big-time sports figures’ involvement. He’s scheduled to make $25.8 million this season and $27.6 million if he picks up his option for the 2023-24 campaign. Draymond is entering a contract year with a player option for next season.

As one of the fastest growing sports in the U.S.A. right now, it's probably a sound investment to make, but what exactly is it and how is it played?

“Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the country, building communities in cities and towns all over the world. We’re thrilled to become partners of Major League Pickleball – which as a league and sport is just getting started.” When the league debuted in 2021, there were just eight teams, but in one year it has grown to 12. “Having SC Holdings, LRMR Ventures, and their incredible group as owners and investors in Major League Pickleball is not just great for MLP, it’s a watershed moment for pickleball in general,” said MLP Founder Steve Kuhn in the official press release. Today, the game has experienced a meteoric rise in popularity, which brings us to the interest that it has garnered in investors. now [intend to buy ](https://www.majorleaguepickleball.net/news/world-class-athletes-and-leaders-including-lrmr-ventures-sc-holdings-draymond-green-and-kevin-love-to-buy-new-team-in-major-league-pickleball)a [Major League Pickleball](https://www.majorleaguepickleball.net/) expansion franchise. As for where it originated, the website goes on to explain that Pickleball was Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island - a short ferry ride from Seattle, Washington. [ official website](https://usapickleball.org/what-is-pickleball/) of USA Pickleball, it is “...a fun sport that combines many elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong. “Pickleball is one of the most exciting growth opportunities in sports because of its committed and engaged community across the U.S.,” Managing Partner of SC Holdings Jason Stein said in a statement. It is understood that in 2023, players will compete in six tournaments across six different cities nationally with more than $2 million up for grabs. If you were wondering, yes, there are in fact other elite level athletes and investors who are getting involved in Pickleball as well. The apparent brain child of three fathers - Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum — the game was allegedly created in response to their children’s boredom.