Kevin Durant Headlines Newest Ownership Group In Major League Pickleball

Durant and longtime business partner/agent Rich Kleinman founded Thirty Five Ventures in 2016, and have grown the venture capital fund into a powerhouse. Not only have they built out one of the premier sports media production companies, but have also dipped their toes into ownership ties with multiple sports leagues. 

Shows and documentaries such as NYC Point Gods, The Boardroom, Basketball County: In The Water, and more have all been produced by Kevin Durant and Thirty Five Ventures. The Boardroom has become a social media powerhouse, with nearly 800,000 subscribers on YouTube, and over 300,000 followers on Instagram. 

The idea of Kevin Durant and pickleball first arose when pictures and videos of him playing with some professional and semi-professional players in September of 2022. What was clear in these videos was that Durant was enjoying himself as he learned the game, smiling and laughing alongside his fellow pickleballers.

Major League Pickleball just finished their 2022 season with the third and final tournament taking place in Columbus, Ohio. It was a jam-packed weekend of pickleball that saw Team BLQK take on Hard Eights for the Pritchard Cup. BLQK was able to edge it out and claim their second tournament win of the season and third overall since MLP’s inception. 

There are no formal announcements about where MLP will go next year, but there will be an expanded 6 event circuit. There should be an announcement in the near future about the specific locations, but for now, they remain a mystery.