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This is pro pickleball's biggest moment
NBA star Luka Dončić credits pickleball for offseason weight loss
Pro pickleball is at a major turning point. While many believe the February 2024 merger between the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) and Major League Pickleball (MLP) was the sport’s most pivotal moment, we’d argue that right now — when the league is renegotiating player contracts — is even more consequential.
If you’re a fan, player, brand, or investor in professional pickleball, this moment matters more than ever. Our founder, Jared Paul, breaks it all down below.
Also in this issue:
St. Louis locks up the No. 1 seed for MLP playoffs 1️⃣
Anna Leigh Waters was just too good in this Dreambreaker 🤯
Pickleball Trips offers one-of-a-kind vacations 🏝️
NBA star Luka Dončić credits pickleball for weight loss ⛹️♂️
Why Drew Brees is pickleball’s biggest advocate 🎙️
Let’s get cookin’. 🧑🍳
HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK
Anna Leigh Waters put the team on her back in this Dreambreaker
Saturday’s Major League Pickleball match between the New Jersey 5s and Los Angeles Mad Drops was one of the most exciting matches of the season.
It came down to a Dreambreaker, where Anna Leigh Waters simply refused to lose. She was matched up against Catherine Parenteau and won 9 of the 10 points they played against each other. Parenteau is a great singles player in her own right, and it wasn’t even like she was playing poorly — Waters was just too good and ultimately led the 5s to a 22-20 win.
Honorable mention: Because we sometimes have too many great highlights to choose from, we also highly recommend checking out this insane point from across the pond. They are playing some good pickle in Australia these days.
FEATURED STORY
A look inside pro pickleball’s biggest inflection point
If you’re a fan, player, brand, or investor in professional pickleball, what’s happening right now behind the scenes matters more than ever. Jared Paul, the founder of The Kitchen, is here to break it all down.
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN PRO PICKLEBALL RIGHT NOW?
The PPA Tour is asking players to restructure the final year of their current contracts, spreading the compensation over the next three years. At the same time, the tour is reintroducing performance-based pay, giving top athletes the chance to earn more based on wins, not just appearances.
This shift marks a return to what many believe is a healthier and more sustainable structure for professional pickleball players.
WHY THIS IS PRO PICKLEBALL’S MOST IMPORTANT MOMENT
This isn’t just about contracts. It’s about setting a sustainable path forward for professional pickleball — a sport on the verge of something truly massive.
We’re not just talking about one league, one brand, or one generation of players. We’re talking about the future of pickleball as a legitimate global sport.
Let’s make the right decisions now — while we still can.
PICKLEBALLERS PODCAST
Why Drew Brees is all-in on pickleball
In case you missed it last week Drew Brees joined the Pickleballers crew for an in-depth discussion touching on everything from his NFL career to his love for pickleball and racket sports.
We learned so much about the future NFL Hall of Famer during our conversation, including how he beat Andy Roddick in tennis, what it was like to get benched in the NFL, why he chose New Orleans over Miami, and what he thinks of Tom Brady’s chances if the GOAT was to hit the pickleball court.
He also offered great perspective on battling through injuries, mental toughness and the mindset that helped him become a legend.
What are your thoughts on pro pickleball players screaming at opponents during matches? |
THE PROS
St. Louis Shock secure No. 1 seed in MLP playoffs
There were playoff implications on the line in several matches at MLP Dallas this weekend. It was the second-to-last event of the regular season, and the St. Louis Shock put together another undefeated week (6-0) to secure the No. 1 seed ahead of the playoffs, which start in San Diego on Aug. 15-17.
The weekend's results separated teams into 4 groups heading into the last week of the regular season.
SEEDING SECURED
St. Louis - Guaranteed the No. 1 seed
Dallas - Guaranteed the No. 2 seed
CLINCHED A PLAYOFF SPOT, SEEDING STILL UNKNOWN
New Jersey 5s
Brooklyn Pickleball Team
Columbus Sliders
LA Mad Drops
Texas Ranchers
Orlando Squeeze
4 TEAMS FOR 2 SPOTS
Utah Black Diamonds
Miami Pickleball Club
Chicago Slice
Atlanta Bouncers
MATHEMATICALLY ELIMINATED
Phoenix Flames
Carolina Hogs
SoCal Hard 8s
NY Hustlers
PICKLEBALL TRIPS
Explore the world through pickleball
The Moore family has had two core passions over the past decade: Pickleball and travel.
In the mid-2010s, Scott and his son Daniel were hoovering up national championships and winning pro tournaments across the country. They were Ben and Collin Johns before the Johns brothers had ever picked up a paddle.
As they were building a name for themselves at the pro level, pickleball was starting to really take off in places like Arizona, Utah and Florida. People wanted to learn from them, and they liked teaching the game, so eventually they began traveling the U.S. to host clinics as well as play in tournaments.
After one particularly successful clinic trip, Daniel had an idea: Why don’t we take people on a trip to Japan and teach them pickleball while we’re there?
“It was an interesting idea,” Scott says now. “I raised the kids in Japan and my wife and I spent 16 years there, so we knew the language and the culture.”
So they went for it, and their first pickleball trip to Japan hosted 13 adventurous pickleballers. Using their extensive knowledge of the country and experience in the region, the Moores provided a behind-the-scenes, one-of-a-kind pickleball trip.
When they got back to the states, the travelers raved about their experience. All of a sudden, a business was born.
Today, that business is known as Pickleball Trips. The family operation includes Scott and his three sons – Jon, Daniel and Stephen – along with a small support staff. They offer guided, private group trips to various destinations around the world for enthusiasts who want to combine pickleball, travel and cultural immersion.
🔗 Learn more about Pickleball Trips or book a Tour Consultation today
TRENDING
After being traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers last season and catching heat for being out of shape, NBA star Luka Dončić has been focused on his fitness this offseason.
Somewhat surprisingly, he credits pickleball as part of his turnaround.
In a recent story by MensHealth, Dončić revealed that he has spent more time this summer training off the basketball court than in the past. He has filled the time with a weights routine that helped him build total-body strength and he eventually found a distraction playing pickleball and padel.
PRODUCT OF THE WEEK
Proton Series Four combines plush feel with pop when you need it
The Proton Series Four - Project Roadrunner was released in the fall of 2024 and packed tons of new tech into a sleek, edgeless design.
While it’s certainly not a “new” paddle anymore, it remains one of Pickleball Central’s best selling models, and for good reason.
Proton introduced a hybrid core with the Series Four that included a layer of Nomex (typically associated with more poppy paddles) sandwiched between two layers of traditional polypropylene. The result is a plush feel that is very comfortable on drops, resets and dinks. But the Nomex layer in the core comes into play on drives and counters, providing an extra boost when you need it.
QUICK HITS
Singles masterclass: These guys are on another level
Peak pickleball: This match had several unbelievable points
Pickleball Karen: What’d pickleball do to her!?
What did you think of this week's newsletter? |