Canadian rapper Drake, actor Michael B. Jordan invest in pickleball team

CITYnews halifax \ By Lucas Casaletto

Canadian rapper Drake and Creed actor Michael B. Jordan announced on Thursday they have both invested in the Brooklyn Aces, an organization part of Major League Pickleball (MLP).

“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,” Aces majority owner Rich Kleiman said.

“It’s the idea of bringing people in that we could share in this with and utilize resources as the Aces evolve. Our investor group includes some of the savviest entrepreneurs in the business, and having this network on our cap table positions us to be successful.”

RELATED: Pickleball popularity continues to grow in Toronto

Currently, MLP consists of 24 geography-based teams and is split between two categories: MLP Premier Level and MLP Challenger Level.

Premier Level is described as being home to the top 48 players drafted, while the Challenger Level includes the next crop of 48 draftees with hopes of rising to the top of the league.

Several notable athletes, including LeBron James and Tom Brady, have invested in pickleball teams in the United States.

Drake’s close friend, NBA superstar Kevin Durant, has also funded and supported the rising sport.

Two pickleball rackets are pictured with a traditional pickleball. Photo: Unsplash.

Pickleball is played in singles or doubles on a court that looks like a shrunken tennis court. Played with the hard paddles and brightly coloured, perforated plastic balls is fast but involves less running than tennis.

The sport took off in popularity around the COVID-19 pandemic when it provided cooped-up quarantiners a chance to get outside with minimal equipment, with some big names playing in televised exhibitions to give the sport a spotlight.

Pickleball has since evolved into one of North America’s most recreationally played sports. In June, Toronto’s city council announced it had added stand-alone pickleball courts to three new planned tennis court complexes, with 30 new outdoor courts to be introduced that can be shared with other sports.