The center of the pickleball universe is at the Barnes Tennis Center in Point Loma this weekend as the Major League Pickleball playoffs make their first-ever stop in San Diego.
"Pro pickleball is here," said Samin Odhwani, commissioner of Major League Pickleball. "The amateur game is taking off. There's so many people playing. There's courts being built. So it was only a matter of time for pro pickleball to finally arrive on the scene, and I feel like it finally made it."
The professional circuit is attracting a host of celebrity team owners, even with a $15 million franchise fee.
"Drew Brees, a great example, he's going to be out here this weekend, supporting his team, the L.A. Mad Drops. You've got LeBron James, Tom Brady, Kim Clijsters, some amazing team owners all across Major League Pickleball and it's really fun for us to get an opportunity for them to join in on the growth of the sport," Odhwani told ABC 10News.
Many of the top players, like Texas Ranchers star Eric Oncins, were former tennis players who made the switch after seeing pickleball for the first time.
"What is this? Like what is this sport that's like mini-tennis? And then we went to try it, and we started playing every day in the afternoon, like the open play hours at the public park," Oncins said.
The 22 MLP teams are all co-ed, with men's, women's and mixed play part of every tournament. And if Odhwani is right, you'll be seeing a lot more pickleball in the near future.
"Pickleball is going to be a tier one sport. It's going to be up there with the NBA, the NFL, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer. I have no doubt about it," Odhwani said.
The competition runs through Sunday. Tickets start at $25.
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