2023 Major League Pickleball Draft Recap: Anna Leigh Waters to New Jersey, Ben Johns to Seattle

The draft for the first season—featuring some of the world's best pickleball players and most famous celebrity owners—will take place in Las Vegas on December 15, and air on Tennis Channel at 9:00 p.m. EST.

In a ceremony that aired live on Tennis Channel, the 2023 Major League Pickleball Draft sponsored by Margaritaville brought together the game’s best players and a constellation of celebrity owners to Las Vegas on Thursday evening to select teams ahead of a historic season.

Anna Leigh Waters, 15, and Ben Johns, 23, the top-ranked female and male players in pro pickleball, were the No.1 and No. 2 overall draft picks, respectively.

Waters recently clinched a triple crown at the USA Pickleball National Championships in Indian Wells—winning the women’s singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles titles at the same event—and will be heading to the New Jersey 5s.

The Delray Beach native, who made her pro debut at the age of 12, told reporter Hannah Johns it was “an amazing feeling” to be named first.

“Honestly [when I got the call] I was here in Vegas, and it was super loud. I got the phone call and I was like, ‘Wait, what did you say? Like are you sure?’ I was super excited,” Waters said.

“I'm super excited to be a part of the 5s as well. It's just an amazing feeling to be picked number one overall, both men and women.”

Johns, winner of more than 50 pro triple crowns, was the No. 2 overall pick after being selected by the Seattle Pioneers. Frequently called pickleball’s ‘G.O.A.T.’, Johns had plenty of praise for the new MLP format.

“I think it’s just an incredible experience for all the players,” said the top-ranked male player. “We're out there in doubles, often together with a partner, but the team format really lends a lot to the chemistry and excitement. I think the fans get really into it. And I know that players get really into supporting each other.

“It's just so fun to be on a team where you can all just have more of an experience, than just [being at] a normal tournament. It's an amazing format, and I'm really looking forward to playing it this year.”

After announcing a merger with the Professional Pickleball Association's VIBE League last month, the MLP by Margaritaville unified pro team pickleball under one brand for the first time. The league continued to make a splash in announcing expansion plans—from 12 teams to 24—and becoming the first American professional league to implement a promotion and relegation system in the upcoming season.

The expansion has drawn the interest of high-profile investors—including those from the tennis world, with Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj and four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka recently being announced as new co-owners of Challenger-level teams.

Former world No. 1 Kim Clijsters—an owner of the Las Vegas Night Owls, alongside American football legend Tom Brady—was among the stars in attendance watching the draft. Her team’s No. 1 pick Vivienne David, a former tennis player, was thrilled to be chosen by her childhood idol.

“Tom Brady is an awesome athlete, [but] I didn’t grow up watching football,” David said grinning. “Kim Clijsters was actually my idol growing up, so to have her as my team owner is amazing.

“When I heard that she bought into a team I thought, How amazing would it be if I was a part of that team? Well, here it is!”

The 2023 MLP calendar will feature six total events over two seasons across two tiers of competition: the MLP Premier Level (featuring teams made up from the first 48 drafted players), and the MLP Challenger Level (teams composed of the next 48 drafted players). Each team is comprised of two male players and two female players, with a re-draft also set to take place before the second half of the 2023 season.

Here’s how the Top 12 MLP teams stand after the Premier-level draft:

New Jersey 5s

• Anna Leigh-Waters
• James Ignatowich
• Lea Jansen
• Hayden Patriquin

Seattle Pioneers

• Ben Johns
• Etta Wright
• Meghan Sheehan-Dizon
• Tyler Loong

ATX Pickleballers

• JW Johnson
• Jackie Kawamoto
• Jade Kawamoto
• Gabriel Tardio

NY Hustlers

• Anna Bright
• Tyson McGuffin
• Rafa Hewett
• Lacy Schneemann

Los Angeles Mad Drops

• Catherine Parenteau
• Irina Tereschenko
• Julian Arnold
• Thomas Wilson

SoCal Hard Eights

• Riley Newman
• Lindsay Newman
• AJ Koller
• Mary Brascia

Cabo ¡Vamos!

• Jay Devilliers
• Simone Jardim
• Allyce Jones
• Erik Lange

Florida Smash

• Jessie Irvine
• Jorja Johnson
• Travis Rettenmaier
• Collin Johns

Las Vegas Night Owls

• Vivienne David
• Dekel Bar
• Lauren Stratman
• Kyle Yates

California Blqk Bears

• Andrea Koop
• Dylan Frazier
• Federico Staksrud
• Maggie Brascia

Milwaukee Mashers

• Callie Jo Smith
• Lucia Kovalova
• Andrei Daescu
• DJ Young

Frisco Clean Cause

• Zane Navratil
• Matt Wright
• Lina Padegimaite
• Yana Grechkina

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