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Spieth, Scheffler Compete Against Nowitzki, Isner in Pickleball Exhibition Match
PGA Tour stars Jordan Spieth and Scottie Scheffler put their golf clubs away in exchange for paddles Thursday night as they competed in an exhibition match for the Pro Pickleball Association.
Their opponents are also well-known in the sports world for their talents and also for being extremely tall. Retired NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki partnered up with tennis pro John Isner to play against the golfers. Nowitzki is seven-feet tall, as Isner stands at 6’10”.
Pickleball, which combines aspects of tennis, badminton and ping-pong on outdoor badminton-sized courts, has taken the country by storm. The professional league, Major League Pickleball, began in 2021.
The competition Thursday night was hot as the two teams had multiple close rallies throughout the game.
Multi-sport athletes 👀
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 14, 2022
Scottie Scheffler and @JordanSpieth battling it out on the pickleball court @PPATour. pic.twitter.com/cx0zaLpsZl
Oh hello Dirk 😳 pic.twitter.com/5YwYriAql2
— Carvana PPA Tour (@PPAtour) October 14, 2022
The event in Frisco, Tex., brought in retired NFL star Tony Romo, too. However, he worked as the announcer for the event. All of the celebrity athletes were from the Dallas area or competed for Dallas teams.
The pickleball teams switched around, with the sports stars also competing with amateur pickleball players. This meant that the athletes competed against each other whenever they partnered up with amateur players.
Major sports stars continue to get involved in the sport of pickleball. The celebrity event comes just a day after seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady and four-time tennis Grand Slam winner Kim Clijsters invested in a professional pickleball team. NBA stars LeBron James, Draymond Green and Kevin Love previously invested in a team as well. Retired NFL star Drew Brees also has a stake in a team.
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For more Daily Cover coverage, go to Daily Cover.
Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.