MAJOR LEAGUE PICKLEBALL ANNOUNCES NEW OWNERSHIP GROUPS COMPRISED OF DYNAMIC LEADERS ACROSS SPORTS, BUSINESS, AND ENTERTAINMENT INCLUDING:

New owners reflect MLP by Margaritaville’s strategy of attracting a diverse community to pickleball and reaching different audiences and markets

Teams will start the 2023 season in MLP Challenger Level and have revealed team names, locations, and rosters; With the first pick of the draft, the D.C.Pickleball Team selected 10-time ATP Tour titleist Sam Querrey, who begins his journey into pro pickleball

MLP by Margaritaville (MLP) announced today new ownership groups for its expanded 24-team league. The owners join the league as it approaches a transformative year bringing expertise and experience across entertainment, media, and sports. From Super Bowl Champion Patrick Mahomes to 4-time tennis Grand Slam Champion Naomi Osaka, from supermodel and cultural icon Heidi Klum to award-winning actress Eva Longoria, from World Cup Champion Mesut Ӧzil to NBA game-changer Jeremy Lin, from tennis Hall of Famer Chris Evert to “Entourage” creator Doug Ellin – the new owners bring an array of experience that is unrivaled in professional sports ownership.

“The diversity in the backgrounds and expertise of our fantastic new owners is an incredible asset as we aggressively expand Major League Pickleball to reach more fans than ever,” said MLP by Margaritaville Interim CEO Brian Levine. “We always say pickleball brings people together, and this roster of leaders from across a wide variety of industries is a strong testament to that philosophy.”

The owners selected their teams on Monday in the MLP Challenger Level draft with full rosters, team names, and locations revealed today.

In 2023, these 12 teams will compete in the Challenger Level in the first half of the year and switch to the Premier Level in the second half – the previously-announced group of 12 teams will start in the Premier Level and switch to the Challenger Level on the same timeline. All 24 teams start on equal footing in 2023 and will be fighting for pole position for the 2024 season, which will bring a promotion and relegation system to major U.S. sports for the first time.

With the expansion to 24 teams, MLP is offering up to $5 million in prize money and payouts to its players in 2023.

With the first pick of the Challenger Level draft, the D.C. Pickleball Club, owned in part by Eva Longoria, Mesut Ӧzil, Kate Upton and Justin Verlander, selected Sam Querrey. Querrey, who recently retired from professional tennis after winning 10 ATP Tour titles and reaching a Wimbledon semifinal, will start his journey into pro pickleball with MLP.

The full Challenger Level team names, rosters and owners are as follows:

Atlanta Bouncers
Roster: Hunter Johnson, Brooke Buckner, Ben Newell, and Christine McGrath
Team Owners: Anheuser-Busch

AZ Drive
Roster: Wes Burrows, Sarah Ansboury, Andreas Siljestrom, and Sarah Burr
Team Owners: Larry Fitzgerald, Devin Booker, Dierks Bentley, Doug Hirsch, Sheila Gulati, John Merwin, Sam Fox, Brian Frakes, Mark Dalton, and Richard J. Schnall

Bay Area Breakers
Roster: Pablo Tellez, Ewa Radzikowska, Christian Alshon, and Rachel Summers
Team Owners: Jeremy Lin, Mimi Mercado, David Mercado, Geoff Nguyen, Stacey Nishi, Jeff Nishi, Wayley Louie, and Kathleen Louie

Brooklyn Aces
Roster: Cierra Gaytan-Leach, Rob Nunnery, Corinne Carr, and Greg Dow
Team Owners: Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman’s 35V

Chicago Slice
Roster: Susannah Barr, Emily Ackerman, Connor Garnett, Ryler DeHeart
Team Owners: Ron Saslow’s 35 Capital, Heidi Klum, Tom Ricketts, David Justice, Doug Ellin, Chris Evert, Lindsay Davenport, Tracy Austin, Gigi Fernández, David Dobrik, Joe Bonamassa, Ted Foxman, and Steve Bellamy

Columbus Pickleball Club
Roster: Milan Rane, Becky Ryan, Yates Johnson, and CJ Klinger
Team Owners: David Kass, Doug Ulman

Dallas Pickleball Club
Roster: Megan Fudge, Chuck Taylor, Brandon French, and Christa Gecheva
Team Owners: Mark Cuban, Dirk Nowitzki, John Isner, Robert Herjavec, Chandler Parsons, and Todd Wagner

D.C. Pickleball Team
Roster: Sam Querrey, Stefan Auvergne, Shelby Bates, and Monica Paolicelli
Team Owners: Al Tylis, Sam Porter, Eva Longoria, Justin Verlander, Mesut Ӧzil, Kate Upton, Shawn Marion, and Rip Hamilton

Miami Pickleball Club
Roster: Alix Truong, Regina Franco, Jeff Warnick, and Matt Manasse
Team Owners: Naomi Osaka, Nick Kyrgios, Patrick Mahomes, Rich Paul, Darius Garland, Mardy Fish and Alex Davis at Disruptive Sports Group, Alex Cohen at Heights, Stuart Duguid, The Palm Tree Crew, Prakash Amritraj, Matthew Pritzker, Mark Ein, Romie Chaudhari, Swimmy Minami

Texas Ranchers
Roster: Lee Whitwell, Pat Smith, Genie Erokhina, and Steve Deakin
Team Owners: Tim Klitch, Dan Ferreri, Bryan Sheffield, Kit Sheffield, and Richard Veitenheimer

Utah Black Diamonds
Roster: Michelle Esquivel, Spencer Smith, Olivia McMillan, and Rob Cassidy
Team Owners: The Pardoe Family

Valhalla Volleys
Roster: Bobbi Oshiro, Callan Dawson, Rachel Rettger, and Todd Fought
Team Owners: TBA