All of it indicates a bigger, brighter future for pickleball. It's the fastest-growing sport in the U.S., and NBA greats including Lebron James are now buying into Major League Pickleball. That figure is nearly double the year before. “Where in this sport, you and I can just get up on the court with our kids and wife if they had never played pickleball before and have a nice game."Īcross the U.S., nearly 9 million people played pickleball in 2022, according to data attributed to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. "In tennis, you're about 80 feet away from each other, and tennis is also a very difficult sport. ![]() "No doubt the pandemic really made people think more about how they can socialize, how they can recreate, and this game kind of gave them both at the same time," Bollettieri Abdali said. The owner of a traditional tennis club on the Pacific Coast, he is now playing host to a 1,300-player pickleball tournament. He’s among the power players pivoting to pickleball. "It's like playing table tennis on a full sized court, and that's pickleball," said Bollettieri Abdali. "It's a sport with a funny name, but you just got to go with it." "There's no going back, and you just gotta accept it," Johns said. Johns is the best in the world at what he does there - a sport few had heard of just two years ago, but now one in which some of the biggest sports franchises, leagues and names are investing millions. He was voted a First Team All-American by the AFCA in 2019 and was named CAA Offensive Player of the Year in the same season.On a small court in Newport Beach, California, a young athlete is building what could be an empire. He completed 70% of his passes while also rushing for 1,002 yards and 16 scores. He also rushed for 22 more.Īs a Duke, DiNucci started 29 games in two seasons, throwing for 5,716 yards with 45 touchdowns. In three games played in the NFL, he was 23 of 43 for 219 passing yards. He spent two seasons in Dallas, as well as the 2022 preseason with the squad. Prior to the XFL, DiNucci was a seventh-round draft pick by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2020 NFL Draft. ![]() He was the XFL's top rushing quarterback by seven yards over Offensive Player of the Year Jordan Ta'amu from the D.C. ![]() He led the league in passing yards, completions and attempts while ranking second in passing touchdowns and sixth in rushing yards. He also rushed for 305 yards and three scores on 53 attempts, averaging 5.8 per rush. He completed 64.7% of his passes, averaging 7.1 yards per pass attempt.ĭiNucci threw for over 300 yards three times, including a season-high 377 in the team's first win of the year at the Vegas Vipers. On the year, he was 242 of 374 for 2,671 yards and 20 passing touchdowns. He led Seattle to a 7-3 record, finishing second in the XFL North Division standings to clinch a spot in the 2023 postseason. Story Links DENVER – Following a successful tryout during the team's rookie minicamp this past weekend, former James Madison All-American quarterback Ben DiNucci signed a contract with the Denver Broncos, the franchise announced on Tuesday.ĭiNucci, who played for JMU in 20, spent this past spring as the starting quarterback with the Seattle Sea Dragons in the XFL.
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