CNN
—
Yes, you read the headline correctly.
NBA superstar LeBron James is expanding his sports portfolio again – this time with America’s new favorite pastime.
James is part of a consortium buying an expansion Major League Pickleball (MLP) franchise as the competition grows from 12 to 16 teams.
The consortium includes fellow NBA players Draymond Green and Kevin Love, as well as James’ lifelong friend and business partner Maverick Carter.
MLP founder Steve Kuhn called the investment by the three basketball stars — who have nine NBA championships combined — a “watershed moment for Pickleball.”
“Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the country and is building communities in cities and towns around the world,” said Kuhn. “This investment, and the platform this group provides, will greatly assist us in our goal of reaching 40 million pickleball players by 2030.”
Along with this new ownership group, MLP hopes to announce additional investments in a roster that already includes Super Bowl champion Drew Brees, Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry and former world No. 4 tennis player James Blake .
Dubbed America’s unofficial pandemic pastime, more than a million Americans have taken up a paddle in the last two years.
But what is the sport that has swept across the country?
The basic goal of pickleball, like other racquet sports, is to hit the ball over the net and prevent an opponent from hitting it back.
It can be played in singles or doubles, indoors or outdoors on a 20 x 44 foot court – about the size of a badminton court – and lasts until a side reaches 11 points, with a two-point cushion.
Pickleball got off to an ill-fated start in 1965 when future US Congressman Joel Pritchard and his friend Bill Bell were trying to entertain their bored kids while they were on vacation.
Residing on a property on Bainbridge Island, Washington, with a paved badminton court, they gathered the equipment available — a wiffle ball, ping-pong racquets, and a badminton net, which they later lowered to 36 inches, closer to the height of a tennis court net when they realized that the ball bounced well on the asphalt.
Over the course of the holidays, with the help of another friend, Barney McCallum, they began creating rules for the game.
The ping-pong racquets were deemed undersized and replaced with larger plywood racquets they had made themselves, and a non-volley zone was created seven feet from the net on either side to prevent smashing.
The non-volley zone, or “kitchen,” gives Pickleball much of its distinctiveness.
It minimizes running so older players can be just as competitive as younger, fitter players and reduces the role of power so kids can play alongside adults.
Pickleball’s popularity has skyrocketed in North America, due in part to the Covid-19 pandemic, as it offers a safe, socially distanced form of exercise.
It had originally found a solid footing in retirement communities, where it was popular for its sociable aspect, moderate exercise and just because it was fun.
However, between 2018 and 2021, pickleball membership in the United States nearly doubled, and the organization estimates that 4.8 million Americans play the sport today.
Much of this expansion has been focused outside of Pickleball’s traditional demographic – the fastest rate of growth has been in players under the age of 24 from 2020-2021, which was due to the height of lockdown when pickleball portable nets temporarily sold out as people set up small squares in driveways and gardens.