Ben Johns talks pickleball on CNN

Expert review of the new Avoura paddles

July 08, 2025

 

Ben Johns was a guest on CNN News Central with Erica Hill late last week while in New York for the most recent Major League Pickleball event.

Hill and Johns discussed a wide variety of topics during the interview, from Johns' first experience with the game to the huge growth of the sport both at the amateur and pro level in recent years. He also offered a valuable tip for the national audience toward the end of their conversation.

We go through a few of their most interesting exchanges below.

Also in this issue:

  • Carolina Hogs making last-minute push for MLP playoffs 🐗

  • Singles points at the first PPA Tour Asia event were WILD 🌏

  • Breaking down the new Avoura paddles 🤓

  • Parris Todd gets real with us on the Pickleballers Podcast 🎧

Let’s cook. 🧑‍🍳

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

Cat & mouse madness at first PPA Tour Asia event

Vietnam’s Giang Trinh completed a remarkable run from the qualifying rounds to the top of the podium this weekend at the first-ever PPA Tour Asia event — the Panas Malaysia Open.

It’s cat & mouse points like this that helped Trinh capture gold, as he used sharp angles and incredible touch to keep his opponents on the move throughout the tournament.

After one particularly long and grueling point, Trinh fell to the ground and jokingly signaled for a timeout.

PICKLEBALLERS PODCAST

The mindset shift that brought Parris Todd to pickleball

In case you missed it, Parris Todd joined the Pickleballers Podcast last week for one of our most raw, real conversations yet. She sat down with hosts Jared Paul and Roscoe Bellamy to discuss her pickleball journey, how she built a fashion brand from scratch, the mindset shift that brought her to pickleball and how she’s now redefining what it means to be a professional athlete in this sport.

You won’t want to miss this one.

🔗 Watch the full episode on YouTube or Spotify

FEATURED STORY

Ben Johns brings pro pickleball to the masses with CNN appearance

Ben Johns was a guest on CNN News Central with Erica Hill late last week while he was in New York City for the most recent Major League Pickleball event.

They discussed Johns’ rise to becoming the best pickleball player in the world and he gave a brief history lesson on how far the PPA Tour has come since its inception in 2020. He also offered a valuable tip for the national audience toward the end of their conversation.

Here were a couple of our favorite exchanges from the interview:

Hill: What do you love most about the sport?

Johns: There's a lot of things about pickleball that are really engaging, but it was the same for me initially as it is for most people now, which is just that you can play with anybody and have a great time. I started in a community where it was mostly elderly people, and I still enjoyed playing with them. I love to just meet new people, and I think that has continued, not just to be a sport for older people, but a sport for everybody. Anybody can play, and because of that you meet a lot of people you wouldn't otherwise meet in kind of your normal day-to-day lifestyle, so it's just a very interesting sport in that it kind of brings a lot of people together from very different backgrounds.

Hill: What's your No. 1 tip for the amateur pickleballers out there?

Johns: You don't need to go for the "hero" shot. You don't want to be a "zero" when you go for the "hero" shot. Pickleball is all about making one more ball. It's really not that hard. You just don't need to go for too much at a time. Pickleball really comes down to shot selection more than anything for success, so just make one more ball than your opponents, and you'll win the game.

YES, CHEF!

The Kitchen’s MLP team goes 5-0 at MLP New York

At the Challenger Level of last weekend’s MLP New York event the Nashville Chefs -- The Kitchen's MLP team -- went 5-0, with four of those wins coming in a Dreambreaker. The gritty performance puts our squad in the hunt for the top spot in the Challenger standings heading into the last two regular season events.

TRENDING

Major League Pickleball New York also saw 6 Premier Level teams competing over the Fourth of July weekend, with crucial standings points on the line as the 2025 season heads into the final stages.

The Brooklyn Pickleball Team (the host team) and Columbus Sliders went undefeated on the weekend to put themselves in a great position for a first-round bye in the playoffs, which is given to the top 6 seeds.

The new-look Carolina Hogs also made a big move up the league standings (and our weekly power rankings) this weekend, going 3-2 and earning 10 standings points. The recent roster moves -- dropping Collin Johns and making a trade to get Etta Tuionetoa in exchange for Kaitlyn Christian -- seem to have paid off initially, but Carolina will still need to play well in its remaining 6 matches to earn a playoff bid.

The stage is now set for this coming week's MLP Mid-Season Tournament in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Every team will be in action and cash is on the line for the winners in both Premier and Challenger. We'll have more on the Mid-Season Tournament later this week.

PRODUCT OF THE WEEK

Expert review: New Avoura models offer great spin and maneuverability

Avoura is still a relatively new brand in the pickleball paddle scene, but already they are making waves with their unique shapes and construction methods.

The first Avoura paddle -- the Rhapsody 13 -- was released earlier this spring and was notable for its rounded widebody profile. The Rhapsody 13 is generally considered a control-oriented paddle with great forgiveness.

This month the brand is releasing two new paddles designed with different types of players in mind.

Avoura Rivelle (Hybrid): Best suited for players who like to use spin to manipulate the ball and prioritize shot placement over power. This paddle makes it very easy to get third-shot drops to dip hard over the net and also be aggressive with topspin dinks. The combination of good dwell time and great maneuverability also means that players can be deceptive on flicks out of the air at the kitchen line.

Avoura Revaya (Elongated): Best suited for players who want to hit big and seek offense first. As Avoura's elongated paddle, this model provides the most reach and power, making it easy to capitalize when an opponent leaves a ball too high. The sweet spot is positioned toward the top 1/4 of the paddle face, which is where players coming from a tennis background tend to make contact.

Use code KITCHEN for $10 off any model on the Avoura website.

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