Drake And Michael B. Jordan Join Growing Roster Of HighProfile Pickleball Team Investors

Drake and Michael B. Jordan entered the pickleball game.

Major League Pickleball announced Thursday that the Brooklyn Aces have signed the Grammy-winning "Hotline Bling" rapper and "Black Panther" star as a new contributor.

More shoe news!

Jordan and Drake, who back Alpine F1 team and AFC Bournemouth Football Club, join a list of high profile investors in entertainment and sports including Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Heidi Klum, Tom Brady, Eva Longoria, Michael Phelps, Patrick Mahomes, Rich Paul, Mark Cuban, O'Richomi Paul and Rich Paul.

As for the Brooklyn Aces, the two star players are among a large group of investors including Steve Stout, founder and CEO of United Masters and Translation. CityPickle co-founders Mary Cannon and Erica Desai; Arie Burkoff, President and CEO of Liontree; Kelly Sawyer Patrikoff, CEO of Baby2Baby; and Jamie Patrikoff, founder and editor of Hunting Lane.

The Brooklyn Aces said they would use this new investment to "increase our brand exposure and continue our commitment to empowering Aces athletes as we approach the new season."

Rich Kleiman, CEO of Boardroom and majority owner of the Brooklyn Aces, said in a statement that he is "thrilled to join an incredible group of investors" who want to grow the team and promote Major League Pickleball as a whole. "In addition to the marketing savvy and creativity that Michael B. Jordan, Drake and Steve Stout bring to our investor group, we have some of the most accomplished entrepreneurs in the industry," said Kleiman. "We can't wait to see what season two has in store."

Ace will be on the court at the MLP tournament in Peachtree Corners, USA from September 21st to 24th. The team consists of Hayden Patrick (youngest player in the EPL) and Tyler Long (two-time MLP champion), as well as Kathryn Parenteau (women's world number two) and Andrea Cupp (MLP Daytona finalist). Samin Odhavan will be the general director of the second season.

Shoe companies have also invested in the growing sport. Earlier this month, Skechers was named the Official Shoe Sponsor of the 2023 British Open and British National Pickleball tournaments. The announcement marks the footwear company's latest investment in the growing sport. Skechers has been named the Official Shoe Sponsor of the US Open Pickleball Championship and the Carvana Professional Pickleball Association Tour beginning with the 2023 season. Skechers became a footwear sponsor of the Canadian National Championship of Pickleball in May and sponsors Major League Pickleball and the Pickleball Players Association.

Other brands like Fila, K-Swiss, Easy Spirit and Alice + Olivia have tried to capitalize on the growth with acid capsules, product launches and sponsorship deals.

According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, there will be an 85.7 percent increase from 4.8 million gamers in 2021 to 8.9 million gamers in 2022.

The best shoe news

Sign up for the FN newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest news.

Click here to read the full article.

Will Smith breaks his silence on Jaden Smith's homosexuality