Drake and Michael B. Jordan Join the Pickleball Craze By Investing in a Brooklyn Team

Forget rapping and acting: Drake and Michael B. Jordan are making headlines for joining in on the pickleball frenzy.

The pair, both 36, recently invested in the Brooklyn Aces, a team that is part of the Major League Pickleball (M.L.P.) organization. “Excited to have this ace up our sleeve,” the league posted on social media following the announcement.

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“We’re thrilled to have this incredible group of investors join the Brooklyn Aces as we continue to grow the team and raise the profile of Major League Pickleball as a whole,” the Brooklyn Aces’ majority owner, Rich Kleiman, told People. “In addition to the marketing and creative acumen that Michael B. Jordan, Drake, and Steve Stoute bring to the table, our investor group includes some of the savviest entrepreneurs in the business. We’re looking forward to what our second season brings.”

The rapper and the actor join other stars such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Tom Brady who have also invested into pickleball. The M.L.P. started in 2021 as the sport increased in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic. The league touts itself as “the standard-bearer for the fastest-growing sport in the United States.” So far, it has 12 teams at its Premier Level and an additional 12 sitting at “Challenger Level.”

“We’re going to keep bringing awareness to this thing all around the country, all around the world,” Brady said at the time of the announcement of his investment, People reported. “And look, you [know] how I get with competition, right. I love that’s it’s become such a popular neighborhood sport. It’s a great way to get out of the house, but I’m coming to win. I’m coming to the dominate the sport. Pickleball—let’s f—ing go.”

There are over 4.8 million pickleball players in the United States, according to a 2022 report from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. It also stated that the sport had grown 39.3 percent over the last two years.

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