Lois Alter Mark
| Special to USA TODAY 10Best
How pickleball became all the rage in the NBA bubble
SportsPulse: As one could imagine it’s tough to pass the time inside the NBA bubble when games or practices aren’t taking place. Alas, pickleball has taken the campus by storm and Jeff Zillgitt explains how that came to be.
SportsPulse, USA TODAY
While much of the country spent 2020 baking and binge watching Netflix, 4.2 million Americans were playing pickleball.
That’s up a whopping 21.3% from 2019, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, and the numbers keep climbing.
“As people looked for ways to get outside and be more active, it makes sense that it ended up on everyone’s radar,” says Stu Upson, CEO of USA Pickleball, the sport’s governing organization. “Pickleball is very welcoming to beginners but is still challenging even for advanced players. Whatever your level of play, you can join a round of pick-up games, have fun and meet new people.”
Matt Manasse agrees. A former pro tennis coach, he was introduced to pickleball at the beginning of the pandemic and was immediately hooked. “I literally created my own pickleball court in my parents’ backyard and it’s been a love story ever since.”
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