Major League Pickleball expands to DC with list of high-profile owners: report
WASHINGTON - Major League Pickleball is coming to D.C. and some high-profile owners are coming along for the action.
According to an online report by Sportico.com, the league announced Tuesday that 12 new teams will compete in the 2023 season.
The expansion will raise the total number of teams to 24 and will include a team in the District that will be called the 'D.C. Pickleball Team.'
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Sportico listed the owners of that team as Al Tylis, Sam Porter, Eva Longoria, Justin Verlander, Mesut Ozil, Kate Upton, Shawn Marion, Rip Hamilton and Matt Walsh.
The roster for the D.C. team will reportedly consist of Sam Querrey, Stefan Auvergne, Shelby Bates, and Monica Paolicelli.
Prince George's County native and NBA superstar Kevin Durant will be part of the 'Brooklyn Aces' ownership group in New York, according to the report.
Baltimore area native Michael Phelps was listed as part of the ownership group for the 'AZ Drive' in Arizona.
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Other cities included in the expansion are Atlanta, San Francisco, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, and Miami. There will reportedly be a second team in Texas, a team in Utah and a team called the Valhalla Volleys.
A pickleball complex is getting ready to serve the D.C. community starting in the new year. Kraken Kourts is moving into a 70,000-square-foot complex on Bryant Street NE in Edgewood with 16 pickleball courts, a tavern and the District’s only indoor roller skating rink, and will open in January.