NBA Star Buys Stake In Anheuser-Busch Pickleball Team

We didn’t realize that Anheuser-Busch was looking for investors in their Major League Pickleball team (they didn’t call us) and besides we were like the last people in the world to realize that pickleball was a real thing.

Here’s the deal…

When we received this announcement, we thought it was a joke. What the hell is Major League Pickleball anyway and why would Anheuser-Busch want to own a team?

Turns out pickleball is a real sport that’s played indoors and outdoors on a badminton sized court, which combines elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong. And while tennis requires an overhand serve, pickleball serves must be underhand. Picklers (that’s what they call players) serve diagonally to the opposite side of the court.

Unlike tennis balls which are bouncy, a pickleball is light and bounces lower than a tennis ball. Pickleball uses paddles, not racquets and the sport’s court is much smaller than a tennis court.

And yes there’s a major league pickleball franchise, the MLP, and Anheuser- Busch has entered into the ownership space with the purchase of pickleball expansion team, the Atlanta Bouncers.

And now NBA All-Star Trae Young is the newest investor in the Anheuser-Busch owned Major League Pickleball team.

“As a pickleball player and fan myself, I am thrilled to be partnering with the Bouncers,” said Trae Young, NBA All-Star and Atlanta Hawks Point Guard. “It’s especially exciting to invest in a team that has Atlanta in its DNA. As someone who’s passionate about Atlanta and pickleball, it is the perfect opportunity to get involved.”

The Atlanta Bouncers are the first professional sports team in which Young has invested, and he joins a growing list of celebrity investors as the sport continues to skyrocket in popularity nationwide. MLP investors include athletes such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Draymond Green, as well as celebrities like Michael B. Jordan and Drake.

So, yeah, American Craft Beer was late to this dance…

“We couldn’t be more excited to bring Trae on as a partner with the Atlanta Bouncers,” said Matt Davis, VP of Partnerships at Anheuser-Busch. “He is an icon within Atlanta and has incredible vision for the future of this team. As we continue to invest in communities and local fanbases with our sports partnerships, we are eager to work alongside Trae to bring the Bouncers and the MLP to new heights.”

The Atlanta Bouncers (whose name was inspired by Atlanta’s vibrant bar scene and its bouncers who are occasionally called into action) are entering their second season as an MLP expansion team.

We don’t have a clue how much it cost Anheuser-Busch to purchase the Atlanta Bouncers to begin with. Nor do we know how big a buy-in NBA All-Star Trae Young made in the team, but in the world of pickleball we’re assuming that this is big news.

This from Anheuser-Busch’s initial 2022 announcement…

In this unique ownership model, Anheuser-Busch will be able to build meaningful connections with fans like never before, unlocking new opportunities for growth and creativity.

This agreement will give Anheuser-Busch a founding partnership with the larger MLP league and control over one of the league’s expansion teams – with ownership over everything from who the team drafts to which sponsors they bring on to support.

And that purchase was prescient on Anheuser-Busch’s part because the MLP is now the fastest-growing sport in the United States, so clearly the American Craft Beer team needs to get out more of often.

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