Introduction:

The excitement of the Major League Pickleball (MLP) draft unfolded on April 2 and 3, spanning two days to select players for both the Premier and Challenger Leagues. In a new twist, the Premier League adopted a fresh draft format, with teams bidding for their desired players within a designated budget. This league comprises twelve teams, each with four players, offering 24 spots for both men and women. The subsequent Challenger League draft, held on April 3, followed the traditional snake draft style. Due to the sale of two teams in the week leading up to the draft, the Challenger League consisted of ten teams, providing 20 spots for both men and women.

Premier League:

In the Premier League, it came as no surprise that the coveted #1 pick was awarded to none other than the world's top-ranked player and former MLP Champion, Ben Johns. The Seattle Pioneers spared no expense, investing $840,000 of their allocated one million dollars to secure Ben as their premier player. Following suit, the next two picks featured top female talents, with Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright making waves. While picks four through forty-eight largely adhered to expectations, there were also some intriguing gambles taken by teams seeking to capitalize on untapped potential. Notably, the St. Louis Shock made waves with a daring move, as Anna Bright opted to partner with newcomer Kate Fahey in Women’s Doubles. Despite Fahey's newcomer status, her stellar background in high-level tennis at the University of Michigan suggests promising potential on the pickleball court, particularly evident in her swift rise on the PPA Tour. With Fahey onboard, Team JOOLA secured an impressive 11 out of the 48 available spots. The picks are as follows:

1 – Ben Johns, Seattle Pioneers

3 – Anna Bright, St. Louis Shock

11 – Federico Staksrud, Orlando Squeeze

15 – Etta Wright, Texas Ranchers

19 – Tyson McGuffin, Utah Black Diamonds

28 – Lea Jansen, NY Husters

29 – Dekel Bar, DC Pickleball Team

34 – Lacy Schneemann, AZ Drive

42 – Kate Fahey, St. Louis Shock

45 – Brooke Buckner, Columbus Sliders

47 – Collin Johns, Seattle Pioneers

Link to the full list of players drafted to Premier and their respective teams, click here. 

Challenger League:

The Challenger level snake draft for MLP included seven more JOOLA players being chosen:

1 - Ewa Radzikowska, Frisco Pandas

3 – Vivian Glozman, Bay Area Breakers

8- Chao Yi Wang, Las Vegas Night Owls

9- Milan Rane, Miami Pickleball Club

14- Erik Lange, So Cal Hard Eights

25- Pat Smith, Florida Smash

29- Rachel Rettger, Bay Area Breakers

Link to the full Challenger League team list here.

Next Up:

The first Major League Pickleball event is set to be played May 9-12 in Atlanta, Georgia. Both Premier and Challenger level teams will be competing in this event.