The celebrity interest in pickleball is no secret, with stars as varied as Kim Kardashian, Jamie Foxx, Steph Curry, Leonardo Di Caprio and Judy Murray all known to be fond of an occasional dink.
However, this celebrity interest goes further than simply playing, with some electing to invest into the sport due to both its growth in popularity and its venture into mainstream sports entertainment.
Sports stars such as Tom Brady, Kim Clijsters, Patrick Mahomes, Lebron James, Drew Brees, Kevin Durant and Michael Jordan have invested in pickleball, as well as actors and singers such as James Blake, Drake and Michael B Jordan.
These investments are helping to push pickleball out to a wider audience, increasing the interest in watching the pro competitions and participation at amateur level.
This fuelling of mainstream attention has led to pickleball being labelled the ‘fastest growing sport in America’ by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, as well as having an estimated 4.8 million players across the USA in late 2022.
Pickleball shows no signs of slowing up as well with the recently set up of Major League Pickleball aiming to grow pickleball to 40 million players by 2030.
