The Aces‘ bombshell announcement that Drake, Michael B. Jordan, and Steve Stoute (record executive and founder and CEO of the marketing agency Translation) will join them as co-investors has taken the pickleball world by storm.
As if Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman weren’t enough!
Thirty Five Ventures
Reports are that the Thirty Five Ventures (35V)-owned outfit will not just welcome Drake and Jordan in the fold, but the new investment team will also feature CityPickle co-founders Mary Cannon and Erica Desai, LionTree Chairman, and CEO Aryeh Bourkoff and Managing Director Alex Michael, Baby2Baby Co-CEO Kelly Sawyer Patricof, among others.
Kleiman says, “We’re thrilled to have this incredible group of investors join the Brooklyn Aces as we continue to grow the team and raise the profile of Major League Pickleball as a whole. It’s the idea of bringing people in that we could share in this with and utilize resources as the Aces evolve.
“Our investor group includes some of the savviest entrepreneurs in the business, and having this network on our cap table positions us to be successful. Just having their ear and their support is really incredible”.
A Long Line Of Celebrities
With new investors on board, the Brooklyn Aces pickleball team looks to build on its connections within the New York City pickleball community and extend its reach while also raising the profile of its athletes, according to the outlet.
This news is just the latest in a long line of celebrities announcing financial tie-ins with pickleball clubs, a testament to the sport’s incredible gravitas right now:
We reported back in May how Naomi Osaka and Patrick Mahomes were now part of the Miami Pickleball Club’s ownership team and social media influencers Dude Perfect had bought into Frisco Pandas.
LeBron James and Draymond Green became part of an ownership group, including Maverick Carter, James’ business partner, Miami Heat’s Kevin Love, and investment firm SC Holdings.
And the list goes on…
As Carter said back then: “When I started playing pickleball, I immediately connected with the sport’s community and its capacity to be both fun and competitive. To see the sport growing in communities all over is really exciting, and we’re looking forward to bringing our expertise together to try and build a championship team.”
