The MLP Premier Level Draft took place Tuesday, April 3, beginning at 6 p.m. ET. Pickleball TV and the MLP and PPA YouTube Channels provided live coverage for the first two hours.
Dynamic Bidding Selection
The 12 Premier Level teams filled out their 2024 season rosters via a dynamic bidding selection process. Teams received a maximum of one million Draft Points to bid with over four draft slots.
Predictably, Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters were the first players selected. However, MLP Premier Level second-ranked male JW Johnson was surprisingly only picked in 12th place (behind Johns and seven others!), while Riley Newman, ranked sixth, was the second man chosen.
In line with the MLP Premier Level female rankings, Anna Bright, who is second-ranked, was the second lady to be picked. Rachel Rohrabacher was perhaps the biggest shock as she was the fourth woman to be chosen, although she is only the 12th-ranked female in the MLP Premier Level rankings.
Draft Pick Results
| # | Team | Player |
| 1 | Seattle Pioneers | Ben Johns |
| 2 | NJ 5s | Anna Leigh Waters |
| 3 | St. Louis Shock | Anna Bright |
| 4 | Columbus Sliders | Riley Newman |
| 5 | AZ Drive | Andrei Daescu |
| 6 | NY Hustlers | Jack Sock |
| 7 | Texas Ranchers | Christian Alshon |
| 8 | D.C. Pickleball Team | James Ignatowich |
| 9 | LA Mad Drops | Catherine Parenteau |
| 10 | LA Mad Drops | Thomas Wilson |
| 11 | Orlando Squeeze | Federico Staksrud |
| 12 | Dallas Pickleball Club | JW Johnson |
| 13 | AZ Drive | Dylan Frazier |
| 14 | D.C. Pickleball Team | Rachel Rohrabacher |
| 15 | Texas Ranchers | Etta Wright |
| 16 | NY Hustlers | Jackie Kawamoto |
| 17 | Dallas Pickleball Club | Jorja Johnson |
| 18 | Columbus Sliders | Meghan Dizon |
| 19 | Utah Black Diamonds | Tyson McGuffin |
| 20 | Orlando Squeeze | Vivienne David |
| 21 | St. Louis Shock | Hayden Patriquin |
| 22 | NJ 5s | Zane Navratil |
| 23 | Dallas Pickleball Club | Hurricane Tyra Black |
| 24 | St. Louis Shock | Gabe Tardio |
| 25 | Orlando Squeeze | Parris Todd |
| 26 | LA Mad Drops | Jade Kawamoto |
| 27 | Utah Black Diamonds | Callie Smith |
| 28 | NY Hustlers | Lea Jansen |
| 29 | D.C. Pickleball Team | Dekel Bar |
| 30 | Texas Ranchers | Tina Pisnik |
| 31 | Columbus Sliders | Connor Garnett |
| 32 | Orlando Squeeze | Jay Devilliers |
| 33 | NJ 5s | Mari Humberg |
| 34 | AZ Drive | Lacy Schneemann |
| 35 | AZ Drive | Kaitlyn Christian |
| 36 | Utah Black Diamonds | Tyler Loong |
| 37 | NJ 5s | Will Howells |
| 38 | Dallas Pickleball Club | Augustus Ge |
| 39 | LA Mad Drops | Hunter Johnson |
| 40 | D.C. Pickleball Team | Allyce Jones |
| 41 | Texas Ranchers | Pablo Tellez |
| 42 | St. Louis Shock | Kate Fahey |
| 43 | Seattle Pioneers | Andrea Koop |
| 44 | Seattle Pioneers | Jessie Irvine |
| 45 | Columbus Sliders | Brooke Buckner |
| 46 | NY Hustlers | CJ Klinger |
| 47 | Seattle Pioneers | Collin Johns |
| 48 | Utah Black Diamonds | Alix Truong |
Premier Level 2024 drafted rosters, broken down by team:
| Team | Player #1 | Player #2 | Player #3 | Player #4 |
| AZ | Andrei Daescu (5) | Dylan Frazier (13) | Lacy Schneemann (34) | Kaitlyn Christian (35) |
| COL | Riley Newman (4) | Meghan Dizon (18) | Connor Garnett (31) | Brooke Buckner (45) |
| DAL | JW Johnson (12) | Jorja Johnson (17) | Hurricane Tyra Black (23) | Augustus Ge (38) |
| D.C. | James Ignatowich (8) | Rachel Rohrabacher (14) | Dekel Bar (29) | Allyce Jones (40) |
| LA | Catherine Parenteau (9) | Thomas Wilson (10) | Jade Kawamoto (26) | Hunter Johnson (39) |
| NJ | Anna Leigh Waters (2) | Zane Navratil (22) | Mari Humberg (33) | Will Howells (37) |
| NY | Jack Sock (6) | Jackie Kawamoto (16) | Lea Jansen (28) | CJ Klinger (46) |
| ORL | Federico Staksrud (11) | Vivienne David (20) | Parris Todd (25) | Jay Devilliers (32) |
| SEA | Ben Johns (1) | Andrea Koop (43) | Jessie Irvine (44) | Collin Johns (47) |
| STL | Anna Bright (3) | Hayden Patriquin (21) | Gabe Tardio (24) | Kate Fahey (42) |
| TEX | Christian Alshon (7) | Etta Wright (15) | Tina Pisnik (30) | Pablo Tellez (41) |
| UTA | Tyson McGuffin (19) | Callie Smith (27) | Tyler Loong (36) | Alix Truong (48) |
The four-round, snake-style 2024 Challenger Level Draft will be held on Wednesday, April 3. Draft results will be shared in real time on the MLP official website.
MLP’s 2024 season schedule will begin with MLP Atlanta from May 9 to 12.
Read our announcement of the draft here.
