LeBron James buys into Major League Pickleball team, as sport continues to gain popularity

Draymond Green, Kevin Love, and LeBron James are NBA stars. The league announced Wednesday that they have joined a Major League Pickleball team. 

James' business partner Maverick, their family office LRMR Ventures and the investment firm SC Holdings joined James and Maverick Carter as well as Relevant Sports Group CEO Daniel Sillman, and SpringHill Company Chief Marketing Officer Paul Rivera. 

The league's press release stated that the new ownership group "brings unparalleled experience and impact across media, sports, entertainment and branding." MLP hopes to expand the community beyond its current members into more diverse communities worldwide with this group.

Although the MLP didn't reveal the purchase of the teams, it said that the league will be expanding from 12 to 16.

Steve Kuhn, founder of MLP, said that pickleball was the fastest-growing sport in the nation. It is also a great way to build communities in cities and towns around the world. "This investment and the platform provided by this group will greatly help us reach our goal of 40 million pickleballers by 2030," Kuhn said.

According to the MLP, the league will have all its players participate in six tournaments across the nation for more than $2,000,000 next year.

Pickleball has become the fastest growing sport in the U.S., with 4.8 million players across the country in 2021 — a 15% increase from 2020 — according to the 2022 Sports & Fitness Industry Association Single Sport Report on Pickleball. The majority of participants identify themselves as "casual" players.

According to the report, the fastest growth rate in Americans who have taken up the sport is among women and those under 24 years old. 

Pickleball was created in Washington in 1965 and combines elements from tennis, pingpong, and badminton. Players use paddles to hit the plastic wiffle ball back-and-forth over a net. In recreation centers, parks, schools, and other places across the U.S. and Canada, courts are available.

The MLP is not the first time that high-profile athletes have expressed an interest. Drew Brees , a former star NFL quarterback, became majority owner of the Austin Mad Drops, Texas. Jim Buss, coowner of the Los Angeles Lakers is a minority owner.