Pickleball Inc. $225 million deal creates new home for sport

MoneyWatch Pickleball Inc. clinches landmark $225 million investment into America's "fastest growing" sport .chip { background-image: url('/fly/bundles/cbsnewscore/images/chip-bgd/chip-bgd-moneywatch.jpg'); } By Cara Tabachnick Cara Tabachnick News Editor Cara Tabachnick is a news editor at CBSNews.com. Cara began her career on the crime beat at Newsday. She has written for Marie Claire, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. She reports on justice and human rights issues. Contact her at cara.tabachnick@cbsinteractive.com Read Full Bio Cara Tabachnick May 1, 2026 / 6:26 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Pickleball players are everywhere.Now, a $225 million investment announced Friday establishes Pickleball, Inc., a dedicated home to manage America's fastest-growing sport. The deal merged Major League Pickleball and the Carvana PPA Tour, two of the nascent sport's most active entities, under the new parent company, the organizations said in a statement.MLP Commissioner Samin Odhwani said the capital infusion from Apollo Sports Capital "shows without a doubt that pickleball is no longer an emerging sport, and is instead quickly becoming the next tier one sport in America."More than 24 million people played pickleball in 2025, a 22% increase from the previous year, according to a Sports & Fitness Industry Association report released in April. Over the past three years, participation in pickleball – invented in Washington state in 1965 – has climbed by more than 171%, making it America's fastest-growing sport, the report said.Several celebrities and athletes have also joined the pickleball craze, purchasing teams and supporting players in the hopes of seeing a return on their investment. Super Bowl champion Tom Brady and tennis hall-of-fame star Kim Clijsters purchased a team, as did NBA players LeBron James, Kevin Love and Draymond Green.More than 150 signed pro-players will be part of Pickleball, Inc.  The sport's best player...