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There is certainly no shortage of pickleball in the news recently — and that bodes well for business. COURTSIDE CHATTER Grammy Award winning rapper Drake and "Black Panther" star Michael B. Jordan are among the new investors in Major League Pickleball's Brooklyn Aces. Drake, Jordan and Translation CEO Steve Stoute are among the new backers for the franchise, which is owned by Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant and his business manager, Rich Kleiman. e musician and actor join a growing roster of high-profile pick- leball investors from sports and entertainment that includes none other than LeBron James, Heidi Klum, Tom Brady, Eva Longoria, Michael Phelps, Patrick Mahomes, Kate Upton and Mark Cuban. To celebrate National Pickleball Day last August 8, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled the first pickleball bobbleheads. One bobblehead features Kitchen the Pickleball Mascot, and the other is a Pickleball Bobble, the newest addition to the Sports Ball Bobble Series. e two limit- ed-edition models, slated to ship in November, will each be individually numbered to 2023 and will only be avail- able through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum's online store. Indoor pickleball facility op- erator Ace Pickleball Club plans to expand with more than 50 U.S. franchises, in- cluding Albany, NY; Detroit/ Ann Arbor, MI; Chicago, IL; Denver, CO; Fort Wayne, IN (opening Winter 2023); Harrisburg, PA; Jacksonville, Orlando and Palm Beach, FL; Orange County, CA; Phoenix, AZ; and Voorhees, NJ. e company, which claims to be the fastest-growing pickleball franchise, launched its fran- chising operations this past February with one location open in Roswell, GA, another under construction in Fort Wayne, IN, and more than a dozen others in development. e business anticipates opening at least five new clubs by the end of 2023 and 40-plus locations by the end of 2024. e facilities host clinics, leagues, camps and tournaments and offer free Pickleball 101 clinics. Brooklyn Aces photo: bkaces.com Celebrities are getting involved with Major League Pickleball's Brooklyn Aces. 32 • September/October 2023 sportstyle • sportstylemag.com PICKLEBALL