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The parade of celebrity pickleball investors rolls on.
Thirty Five Ventures — the investment firm founded by NBA superstar Kevin Durant and entrepreneur Rich Kleiman — has purchased a Major League Pickleball expansion team that will compete in the 2023 MLP season.
“35V is committed to investing in the future of sports and emerging opportunities, and Major League Pickleball is a league we are incredibly excited about,” said Kleiman. “As an avid pickleball player and fan, the interest in the sport was a natural fit.”
MLP is the latest addition to 35V’s portfolio.
- The company’s recent investments over the last few months include the Premier Lacrosse League and Athletes Unlimited.
- Durant invested in League One Volleyball last month.
- Thirty Five Ventures also counts Goldin Auctions, Just Women’s Sports, Overtime, the Philadelphia Union, SeatGeek, Sleeper, The Players Tribune, and WHOOP among its sports investments.
League of Stars
Durant and Kleiman are the newest members of what’s becoming a large club of celebrity athlete investors in MLP.
Last week, Tom Brady and Kim Clijsters led an ownership group that bought another one of the expansion teams. Two weeks earlier, LeBron James and other NBA stars invested in one.
The league is expected to add four teams before the 2023 season — bringing the league total to 16. It is also increasing player prize money and payouts to over $2 million.
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