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This mother-daughter duo is wrecking grown men
The tables are turned on Pickleballers this week
We’re flipping the script on this week’s episode of Pickleballers, putting Jared Paul — co-host and founder of The Kitchen — on the hot seat. 🔥
We dive into the behind-the-scenes story of how The Kitchen grew from a local Austin pickleball Facebook group into a brand that ultimately helped define modern pickleball culture.
Check out the unique episode below.
Also in this issue:
This mother-daughter duo is wrecking grown men 💪
HEAD launches new Boom Pro EX15 paddle 👀
Several teams make trades ahead of MLP New York 🗽
Watch: Official trailer for pickleball comedy “The Dink” 🎥
These JOOLA tropical colorways are a vibe 🌴
Let’s cook! 👨🏻🍳
AMATEUR HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK
12-year-old and her mother wreck grown men at open play
Only in pickleball will you see a 12-year-old girl and her mother whooping up on two grown men, and we love the sport so much for that.
In this electric point, the mother-daughter duo work their way up to the kitchen line with great defense and resets, then pounce when the right opportunity arises.
🔗 Check out this week’s highlight on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok
GOT A CLIP WORTH SHARING? Each month we showcase the Top 10 Amateur Pickleball Highlights of the Month on our YouTube page. Submit your BEST clips for a chance to be featured in next month’s video using this Google Form.
PICKLEBALLERS
Jared Paul: The origin story of The Kitchen and how it became pickleball’s biggest community
Jared Paul is the co-host of Pickleballers and the founder of The Kitchen Pickleball — the largest and most engaged pickleball community and media company in the world, with over 2 million cumulative members, followers and email subscribers across platforms.
In the latest episode, co-host Roscoe Bellamy flips the script and puts Jared in the guest seat for the first time, joined by Dane Illif, Jared's longtime co-founder and right-hand man at The Kitchen. Together, they trace the full origin story — from a broke music startup in Oakland to building the brand that helped define modern pickleball culture.
They take you behind-the-scenes on how The Kitchen actually became a business, break down why they never bought a single follower and what made the brand impossible to replicate.
🔗 Check out the full episode on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts
PICKLEBALLERS GIVEAWAY: Each week we’re doing a giveaway to celebrate the latest episode of Pickleballers. This week we’re giving away a Honolulu J6CR pickleball paddle + any Kitchen hat. Enter here!
FEATURED STORY
HEAD moving pickleball operations to US, releases new Boom Pro EX15 paddle
It’s no secret that the legacy tennis brands have struggled to gain a foothold in the pickleball industry over the past several years.
Many have had the same experience to some extent, releasing paddles that are solid from a performance standpoint but don’t quite catch on with the pickleball masses.
Given that reality, HEAD has decided to shake up its strategy by forming a U.S.-based team of die-hard pickleball players to lead the brand’s pickleball operations.
The formation of the team, which will be based in Phoenix, marks the first time in HEAD’s recent history that the brand has gone outside of Austria for its product development and marketing – for any of the several sports it produces equipment for. The team still has access to HEAD’s strengths such as the R&D and sourcing department. But now the direction will come from the U.S., which is where the sport was born and will continue to lead as it expands globally.
HEAD LAUNCHES NEW BOOM PRO EX15 PADDLE
HEAD’s shift in strategy coincides with the launch of the brand’s new Boom Pro EX15 paddle, which was released this week.
The updated Boom paddle features a full-foam core using HEAD’s TriFlex Power technology. The paddle is designed with multiple layers of different types of foam to produce a consistent response across the face.
Inner layer: A PP foam core provides power and pop.
Middle layer: An EPP foam ring softens impact and quiets vibration.
Outer layer: An EVA foam perimeter allows the core to flex and expands the sweet spot.
🔗 Learn more about HEAD’s move to the US or shop the new HEAD Boom PRO EX15 here — use code “KITCHEN” at checkout for 15% off!
THE PROS
Major League Pickleball New York: Pools, schedule and viewing guide
Major League Pickleball is heading back to Sportime Randall’s Island in New York, New York, this week.
MLP New York started Thursday and runs through Sunday. There are 11 teams in the field this week:
Group A: Chicago Slice, Las Vegas Night Owls, New Jersey 5s, SoCal Hard Eights, Texas Ranchers.
Group B: Bay Area Breakers, Brooklyn Pickleball Team, Carolina Hogs, Dallas Flash, Florida Smash, Palm Beach Royals.
BIG TRADES ANNOUNCED
Several teams will be debuting new lineups this week after making recent roster moves.
On Wednesday, the first four-team trade in league history was announced, involving the St. Louis Shock, Chicago Slice, Atlanta Bouncers and Texas Ranchers.
Chicago Slice receive John Lucian Goins.
St. Louis Shock receive Hunter Johnson and cash.
Chicago Slice receive Elsie Hendershot from St. Louis.
St. Louis Shock receive Angie Walker and cash from Texas.
Texas Ranchers receive Kaitlyn Christian and cash from Atlanta.
Atlanta Bouncers receive Mari Humberg from Chicago.
We’re expecting several more trades to be finalized before the July 12 Major League Pickleball trade deadline, so we created a trade tracker that will be updated as the deals are announced. Check out our full roundup here.
PICKLEBALL ON THE BIG SCREEN
WATCH NOW: Official trailer for upcoming pickleball comedy ‘The Dink’
We got an early look this week at Ben Stiller’s new pickleball comedy “The Dink” featuring Jake Johnson as a washed-up former tennis star who starts playing pickleball as he recovers from an injury.
“The Dink” features several big-name stars, including Johnson, Stiller, Mary Steenburgen, Ed Harris, Chloe Fineman, Aaron Chen, Patton Oswalt, Chris Parnell and Christine Taylor.
Former tennis pros Andy Roddick and John McEnroe also make appearances in the film.
In the movie, which was acquired by Apple Original Films last year, Johnson serves as President of Tennis and Pickleball Operations at Mountain Crest Tennis Club.
The film was directed by Josh Greenbaum and written by Sean Clements. It will begin streaming July 24.
GEAR
New Pro IV colorways available as part of ‘JOOLA Week’
JOOLA Pickleball is offering huge discounts this week on the brand’s popular Pro IV Series paddles, apparel, bags and more. The sale is part of the brand’s annual “JOOLA Week” and runs through Monday, June 29.
In addition to offering huge discounts, JOOLA has also made the Pro IV tropical colorways available in the U.S. for the first time. The limited-edition models — which look amazing — are marked down to $179.95.
While the Pro IV Series was released in 2025, our reviewers still consider it to be a Top 10 paddle on the market in terms of performance.
QUICK HITS
Lea Jansen vs. The World: We love to see the fire
Epic debut: 13 years old and already pickling MLP players
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