Topline
NBA star Kevin Durant bought an expansion team in Major League Pickleball, the league announced Thursday, joining the rapidly expanding outfit with a star-studded cast of owners including multiple billionaires and some of the best-known athletes in the world.
LeBron James, left, and Kevin Durant, right, are now rivals on the pickle ball court, too.
Key Facts
Durant’s Thirty Five Ventures firm, a joint venture with his long-time agent Rich Kleiman, will now control one of the league’s 16 teams, and released a video of the lanky 6-foot-10 Durant playing pickleball on the 20-foot wide court.
Incredibly, three of the four highest-paid American athletes are now Major League Pickleball owners, as fellow NBA star LeBron James, a billionaire, and legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady, were each announced as owners of other expansion teams earlier this month.
Key Background
Long popular among retirees, pickleball has surged in popularity among all ages in recent years, becoming the nation’s fastest-growing sport and now reaching elite athletes. The sport’s rules are similar to tennis, but played with solid paddles and a plastic ball on a court about one-third the size of tennis courts.
Surprising Fact
Pickleball is the long-time favorite sport of billionaire Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates, who called it a “sophisticated” sport “despite its silly terms and funny name” in a July blog post, predicting it could one day be an Olympic sport.
Crucial Quote
“I never thought I would get into pickleball until Rich convinced me to go to the court one day, I played a few games, and I was like, ‘I understand now,’” Durant said Thursday.
Further Reading
Tom Brady and Kim Clijsters Are the Newest Major League Pickleball Owners (Wall Street Journal)
Here’s Why Pickleball—The Fastest-Growing Sport In America—Is Bill Gates’ Favorite Game (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2022/10/20/kevin-durant-buys-pro-pickleball-team-joining-brady-and-lebron-as-owners/