September 20, 2023 (Atlanta, GA) – NBA All-Star Trae Young is the latest celebrity athlete to join the pickleball craze, as the newest investor in the Anheuser-Busch owned MLP team, the Atlanta Bouncers. With this partnership, Young will serve as the sole investor of the Bouncers as they enter their second season.
“As a pickleball player and fan myself, I am thrilled to be partnering with the Bouncers,” said Trae Young, NBA All-Star and Atlanta Hawks Point Guard. “It’s especially exciting to invest in a team that has Atlanta in its DNA. As someone who’s passionate about Atlanta and pickleball, it is the perfect opportunity to get involved.”
The Atlanta Bouncers are the first professional sports team in which Young has invested, and he joins a growing list of celebrity investors as the sport continues to skyrocket in popularity nationwide. MLP investors include athletes such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Draymond Green, as well as celebrities like Michael B. Jordan and Drake.
“We couldn’t be more excited to bring Trae on as a partner with the Atlanta Bouncers,” said Matt Davis, VP of Partnerships at Anheuser-Busch. “He is an icon within Atlanta and has incredible vision for the future of this team. As we continue to invest in communities and local fanbases with our sports partnerships, we are eager to work alongside Trae to bring the Bouncers and the MLP to new heights.”
The Atlanta Bouncers are entering their second season as an MLP expansion team. Anheuser-Busch established the Bouncers in 2023 in Atlanta, a city well known for its sports fandom, massive tennis community, and rapidly growing pickleball scene. With Atlanta’s equally famous bar scene serving as inspiration for the team name, the Bouncers are proud to represent the south.
The Bouncers roster is composed of pickleball heavyweights, each with their own impressive resume – Parris Todd was the 2022 MLP MVP and has already won 25 medals in tournaments this year. Simone Jardim is Parris’ APP women’s doubles partner and the former #1 women’s pickleball player. Pablo Tellez led the Bay Area Breakers to two MLP championships and Hunter Johnson, the season 1 captain of The Bouncers, is a 25x medalist at APP Tournaments in 2023. Despite these individual accomplishments, The Bouncers strength lies in the team chemistry, all having played with each other before and living close enough to regularly practice together, an advantage few other teams possess.
To learn more about the Atlanta Bouncers, visit majorleaguepickleball.net/team/bouncers and follow the Bouncers on Facebook, Instagram and X @AtlantaBouncers.
About Major League Pickleball
Major League Pickleball (MLP by Margaritaville) is the preeminent team-based professional pickleball league and the standard-bearer for the fastest-growing sport in the United States. Founded by Steve Kuhn in 2021, MLP has since expanded from eight to 24 teams and is committed to growing the sport’s role in society and impacting every facet of pickleball’s business.
MLP features nearly 100 of the best athletes in the sport spread across 24 teams a unique coed format, iconic team owners, an innovative draft format, easy to understand scoring, and the largest payouts in prize money across all of pro pickleball.