- The Kitchen Newsletter
- Posts
- Nike signs Anna Leigh Waters
Nike signs Anna Leigh Waters
Revealing Nos. 31-35 on the Pickleball Power 50 list
Those in the pickleball industry have been wondering for years: When will Nike get involved in the sport?
The athletic apparel and shoe giant officially made its entrance on Tuesday, signing world No. 1 women's player Anna Leigh Waters to a long-term sponsorship deal that elevates pickleball to new heights in the sports landscape.
The Nike deal covers apparel and shoes and will undoubtedly make waves in the pickleball industry, as it signals significant interest in the sport from one of the largest brands in the world. More on today’s huge announcement below.
Also in this issue:
Win a pair of DAPS pickleball shoes 👟
The moment we knew Anna Leigh Waters was a star ⭐️
Everything you need to know about the PPA Tour Masters 🌴
Vietnamese paddle brand Facolos signs pro player Gabe Tardio 😮
Introducing Nos. 31-35 on the Pickleball Power 50 💪
Let’s get cookin’. 🧑🍳
FEATURED STORY
Nike makes its move into pickleball, signing Anna Leigh Waters to apparel and shoe deal
It’s official: Anna Leigh Waters has signed an apparel and shoe contract with Nike, making her the first pickleball player to join the brand’s roster of pro athletes. She will make her debut in Nike threads TODAY at the PPA Tour Masters, marking a pivotal moment in the sport’s history.
"Growing up, I watched my idols wear the Swoosh in their biggest moments, so joining the Nike family is a dream realized,” Waters said. “We are going to push the boundaries of what’s possible in pickleball through this partnership. Nike is the gold standard in performance and I can’t wait to step onto the court representing a brand that believes in the same relentless pursuit of greatness that drives me every day.”
The deal had been in the works for months, as the two sides were rumored to have had meetings at the Pickleball World Championships in Dallas in early November. Waters previously had an apparel and shoe deal with FILA.
The announcement comes just days after Waters and Franklin Sports announced a long-term paddle deal. As part of the Franklin contract, Waters will assist in the design of a signature line of paddles, bags and accessories.
NEW YEAR, NEW GEAR GIVEAWAY
Win a pair of DAPS pickleball shoes
To celebrate the New Year we are partnering with DAPS to give away a brand new pair of their pickleball shoes! 👟💥
FOLLOW THESE STEPS TO ENTER
LIKE this post
TAG a few friends (every tag is a new entry!)
FOLLOW @thekitchenpickleball and @dapspickleball
SHARE this post to your stories
***YOU MUST COMPLETE ALL STEPS TO BE ELIGIBLE***
Giveaway ends on Friday, Jan. 14! 🚨
🔗 Shop DAPS pickleball shoes here — use code “KITCHEN” at checkout for 15% off
HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK
This is when we knew Anna Leigh Waters was a star
It has been a big month for Anna Leigh Waters. The Franklin deal … The Nike deal. She has set herself up to be the face of pickleball for the next decade. But it was in January of 2023 when we realized that she was different.
Facing Tyson McGuffin in an MLP Dreambreaker, the 16-year-old refused to back down. Not only did she not back down, but she rose to the moment. And then kept rising again and again and again over the next two years.
We couldn’t help but smile as we looked back on this MLP point recently.
🔗 Check out this highlight on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok
PICKLEBALL POWER 50
Introducing Nos. 31-35 on our power list
In case you missed it last week, we recently launched our Pickleball Power 50 series, a ranking of the most influential people in pickleball. The list includes investors, CEOs, players, league executives, team owners, creators, podcasters, operators and more.
Today we dropped Nos. 31-35, which includes some big names that fans will recognize as well as behind-the-scenes operatives.
31. Tyson McGuffin – One of pickleball’s biggest stars, Tyson is a true OG of the game and was famously dubbed “the most electrifying man in sports” by Barstool Sports. A fan favorite at every event, he is deeply involved in growing the game through nationwide clinics, instructional content, coaching, and constant promotion of pickleball at every level of play.
32. Brian Levine – Former CEO of Major League Pickleball and current member of the UPA Board of Directors, Brian brings institutional finance experience as a former Goldman Sachs partner. He is now developing a major new pickleball venue in South Florida and continues to influence league governance through board-level insight and hands-on operating experience.
33. Mike Brown – President of Pickleball Play Solutions, Mike leads the tournament software platform used by thousands of events each year, including the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball. His technology underpins scheduling, scoring, and operations across the sport, making him a behind-the-scenes force in how competitive pickleball is organized and executed at scale.
34. Taylor Loomis - The President of Consumer Goods at Pickleball, Inc., and CEO of Pickleball Central, Taylor oversees the largest online retailer in the sport. Under his leadership, Pickleball Central has scaled into one of pickleball’s most significant consumer businesses, shaping how equipment is sold, distributed, and monetized globally.
35. Justin Maloof – Chief Operating Officer at USA Pickleball, he became the organization’s first full-time employee in 2013, serving as Executive Director during a period of rapid national growth. Justin oversees competitive structure, officiating standards, and major national events. Justin also helped to form Global Pickleball Federation (GPF), one of the international governing bodies.
TRENDING
World No. 2 men's player Gabe Tardio has signed a new paddle sponsorship deal with Facolos, a Vietnamese brand that will be entering the U.S. paddle market in 2026.
Facolos said in a news release that the deal is part of a broader effort to establish the company as a leading Asian pickleball brand with global ambitions.
As part of the deal, which runs through 2027, Tardio will use Facolos’ flagship Pro Series paddle, the EliteX, which is "engineered for exceptional grip, spin and precise control." Facolos and Tardio will also collaborate on a co-branded collection that includes paddles, accessories and pickleball apparel.
THE PROS
Kicking off 2026 with PPA Tour Masters
The PPA Tour Masters starts TODAY from sunny Palm Springs, California. The first event of the year is always one of the best on the calendar, and this year is no different, with several new partnerships making their debut and hoping to start fast out of the gates.
The pros will be rocking all white outfits and the forecast looks perfect all week — sunny and temps in the low 80s. If you’re not able to be at the tournament — we will be on site all week, thankfully — we hope you can throw on the PickleballTV app to catch some of the action. Here’s the rundown 👇
Progressive draw here to stay: After experimenting with a few different scheduling formats over the past couple years, the PPA Tour has now shifted to a progressive draw for all of its tournaments in 2026, regardless of whether it is an Open, Cup or Slam. That means pro qualifying will be played on Mondays and main draw matches will start on Tuesdays, with one round in every division to be played each day through Championship Sunday.
2,000 points on the line: The Masters is a Slam, so it is worth 2,000 ranking points for the winners in each division. That also means that all of the top players are playing this week, so it will be one of the hardest tournaments all year to win.
All eyes on Waters: Anna Leigh Waters will be competing for the first time using a Franklin paddle and wearing Nike shoes. Is she vulnerable to an upset this week given the equipment changes?
New partnerships: In what has become a yearly tradition, there are several new partnerships making their debut at the Masters. We take a look at the new teams here.
QUICK HITS
What did you think of this week's newsletter? |