Pickleballers

Andrei Daescu was born to compete. From his early days in Romania as a tennis player to his relentless rise up the pickleball ranks, the 37-year-old giant has been called "the best pickleball player not named Ben Johns". Coming fresh off a Major League Pickleball championship, Andrei joins Roscoe and Jared to discuss his MLP run, what life was like growing up in Romania, his love for inspi...

Catherine Parenteau and her coach (and wife) Athena Trouillot join Pickleballers for a wide-open conversation about love, pressure, and what it takes to sustain greatness. Catherine walks us through her journey from Montreal tennis prodigy to pickleball star: the early days with Simone Jardim, the US Open win that changed her trajectory, going full-time on tour, and the realities of splitting with...

Brazilian pickleball pro Eric Oncins joins Pickleballers to share his journey from growing up in São Paulo to becoming one of the sport’s fastest-rising stars. Eric opens up about his father’s tennis legacy, discovering pickleball in 2017, training under Simone Jardim, and the heated match with Johnny Goldberg that changed everything. After back-to-back pro titles in Asia, he’s now a global fan fa...

Season 2 of Pickleballers kicks off with a bang as we’re joined by the greatness of the GOAT himself — Ben Johns. Widely considered the Michael Jordan of pickleball, Ben has racked up 150+ gold medals and once ripped off a 108-match winning streak in singles. Mind-bending dominance. In this episode, Ben opens up about what it’s really like to be the greatest pickleball player alive. He takes us ba...

Today on Pickleballers, we sit down with the most powerful man in pickleball, Connor Pardoe. He is the CEO of the UPA (the combined PPA Tour + MLP). Connor shares his origin story, how he fell in love with the game, and the napkin-math that became the PPA. He walks us through exclusivity with players, the pivotal partnership with Tom Dundon, the wild Kansas City “Tour Wars” weekend, and why unifyi...

In this episode of the Pickleballers podcast, we sit down with Dekel Bar, one of the best pickleball players in the world, with over 30 PPA medals to his name. Dekel shares his journey growing up in Israel, battling through the brutal grind of professional tennis, and eventually finding pickleball through his close ties with the Johns family. We dive into his struggles with injuries, his rise on t...

Today on Pickleballers, we sit down with two legends of the senior pro game: Beth Bellamy, a top-ranked 50+ women’s pro with 99 medals, multiple US Open and National titles, former WTA tennis star, and co-founder of the National Pickleball League, alongside Scott Moore, a 21-time USA Pickleball National Champion, 12-time US Open winner, Hall of Famer, and founder of Pickleball Trips. We dive into...

Thomas Wilson, one of the most athletic and beloved players in pro pickleball, joins the Pickleballers crew for an inspiring and emotional episode. Thomas opens up about his journey from college tennis to the pro pickleball stage, his battles with life-threatening health challenges, and the resilience it’s taken to fight his way back. He shares his long road through fertility struggles, the joy of...

James Valentine, lead guitarist of Maroon 5 and passionate pickleball player, joins the Pickleballers crew for an unmissable episode. James shares his journey from Nebraska to the global stage of music, the grind behind Maroon 5’s rise, and how his love for tennis led him to discover his newest addiction, pickleball. (00:00) – Intro (01:10) – From Nebraska to LA (04:18) – How James joined Maroon 5...

Hunter and Yates Johnson, twin brothers making their mark in the world of pickleball, join the Pickleballers crew for a must-listen episode. They share their journey from professional tennis to pickleball, diving deep into the highs and lows of competition, life on tour, and overcoming injuries. We also talk about Hunter’s incredible rise to becoming the number two singles player in the world and...

Drew Brees, Super Bowl MVP and one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, joins the Pickleballers crew for one of the most inspiring and wide-ranging episodes we’ve ever done. Drew opens up about almost quitting football in high school, battling through injuries, getting benched in the NFL, and the mindset that helped him become a legend. He also shares how beating Andy Roddick in junior ten...

Doug Ellin, the creator of one of the greatest TV shows in history, Entourage, joins the Pickleballers crew for one of the most entertaining episdoes to date. Doug goes into his career before Entourage, how the show became a cultural phenomenon, how he became perhaps the biggest pickleball lover in America, and so much more. Doug is directly responsible for the boom of pickleball in Southern Calif...

Tennis legend Sam Querrey joins Pickleballers for one of our favorite episodes yet. We cover everything from him beating Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon to becoming the #1 draft pick in Major League Pickleball. Sam opens up about his journey from tennis stardom to pickleball underdog. We dive into his wildest tour stories, what it’s really like facing Djokovic and Nadal, and why he once promised he’d...

Parris Todd joins us for one of our most raw, real conversations yet. She opens up about her early days as a tennis prodigy, turning pro at 14, and traveling the world alone as a teenager chasing a dream. We talk about the pressure, the sacrifices, and what eventually led her to walk away from the sport. Parris shares how she built a fashion brand from scratch, the mindset shift that brought her t...

Whole Foods founder John Mackey joins Pickleballers hosts Jared Paul and Roscoe Bellamy to talk about building a billion-dollar brand, pioneering conscious capitalism, redefining love and life in his next chapter—and why he’s all-in on pickleball. (00:00) - Intro (01:11) - John's entry into natural and organic foods (02:29) - Opening his first natural food store, Safer Way (03:32) - Relocating...

Jared Paul and Roscoe Bellamy from Pickleballers are trying something new...their first ever tournament recap and MLP preview. This one cover all of the drama and top stories from PPA San Clemente and what we all have to look forward to at MLP San Clemente. (00:00) - Intro (00:40) - Roscoe's nagging injury and performance at PPA San Clemente (02:08) - Top storylines from PPA San Clemente (02:5...

The Pickleballers crew is joined by Lea Jansen — one of the most intense and misunderstood players in the game — and Jason Aspes, President of the UPA and cofounder of The Kitchen. They dive into the paddle testing drama, what it's like building the rules for pro pickleball, and Lea’s raw perspective on life as a top player living with diabetes. From paddle politics to real talk about the futu...

The Pickleballers crew is joined by Jack Munro, the ambidextrous pickleball pro who was the YOUNGEST 5.0 PICKLEBALL PRO IN HISTORY! They chop it up about all the latest happenings in pickleball, discuss Anna Leigh Water's Times Square billboard, dive into if ALW is the greatest athlete in the world, break down strategies to improve your game, and a whole lot more. (0:00) - Intro (1:22) - How J...

Anna Leigh Waters, the most dominant pickleball player to ever live, and her mother and former top pickleball pro now top coach, Leigh Waters, sits down with Jared and Roscoe to discuss their pickleball journey, Anna Leigh's climb to #1, Anna Leigh becoming Anna Leigh Waters, the greatest pickleball player in the world, and what it takes continue being the dominant player she is. Reign Storm:...

In this unfiltered episode of Pickleballers, pro player Roscoe Bellamy and The Kitchen founder Jared Paul sit down with two of the sport’s biggest stars — Federico Staksrud (World #1 in singles) and Dylan Frazier (former World #1 in doubles) to discuss their life on tour, where they came from, and how they got here. (0:00) - Intro (1:28) - Federico’s Journey - Argentina to world number (1) (7:02)...

In the premiere episode of the Pickleballers Podcast, hosts Roscoe Bellamy, Jared Paul, and Dane Iliff share how they each discovered pickleball—and what made them fall in love with the fastest-growing sport in America. Roscoe is a top-ranked pro, while Jared and Dane are the minds behind The Kitchen, the largest media company in pickleball. This episode is packed with behind-the-scenes stories, s...