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JillyB vs. UPA: A Twitter Feud
Pro player Jill Braverman got heated on X with Connor Pardoe and Samin Odhwani
Team KOTC
January 05, 2025
JillyB & UPA execs take shots at each other
Pickleball on Twitter/X is typically a very quiet place. While most pro players have accounts, it is rarely the place where big news is broken or spicy conversations occur. However, on January 2nd, Jill Braverman (@jillybpb) posted a podcast (yes she has one still) where she proclaimed that UPA was in financial trouble after acquiring a $5 million bridge loan. The podcast and subsequent tweet got the attention of UPA Chief Strategy Officer Samin Odhwani (former Brooklyn Aces GM), who kicked off a bitter (and, dare we say, petty?) tweet-fest, with Connor Pardoe himself joining in.
Let’s break it down…
Samin started out fairly fact-based, with a little name-dropping mixed in:
Jill, let’s stick to the facts—happy to help you with that. I just left a role with @KDTrey5 , Thirty Five Ventures, and @boardroom to become Chief Strategy Officer at UPA. I moved my wife and newborn to Dallas yesterday because, after meticulously reviewing the financials and
— Samin Odhwani (@SaminOdhwani)
4:09 PM • Jan 3, 2025
financing strategy, I know this league will be a $1B+ business.
Here’s the reality:
-The league did $50M in revenue last year—right on plan, which is a miracle in a merger year and a testament to @connorpardoe_pb , our operating team, and ability to execute.— Samin Odhwani (@SaminOdhwani)
4:09 PM • Jan 3, 2025
-The costs that we are now funding, which were outside of budget, are: 1) buying back two teams and 2) buying players out of contracts we inherited from the bidding wars. These investments were made after board deliberation and with intentionality.
— Samin Odhwani (@SaminOdhwani)
4:09 PM • Jan 3, 2025
Then things started to get spicy:
-You clearly have the email about the bridge loan, but did you just invent the word “emergency”? It’s not in there. What you didn’t mention is that the $10M is already funded by existing investors, showing how committed our team owners are to our growth.
— Samin Odhwani (@SaminOdhwani)
4:09 PM • Jan 3, 2025
And then it got downright personal:
It’s unfortunate you’re not good enough to play with the best on the top tour and you have to resort to clickbait to fuel your career as a micro influencer. Seems like this time of year inspires you to make false claims 😏—looking forward to seeing what’s next.
— Samin Odhwani (@SaminOdhwani)
4:09 PM • Jan 3, 2025
“Not good enough to play…”? Ouch. It wasn’t that long ago that Jill was a top MLP Challenger player, and if she was more well-liked personally, it wouldn’t be absurd to see her at the premier level with the new 16-team league. (Are we defending JillyB? Check our temperature.)
Connor then chimed in, which also started out matter-of-fact, but he wrapped with a few cheap shots directed at Jill.
We had Samin on an emergency pod this week to discuss this matter, and Jimmy asked point-blank if he regrets the way he took shots at Jill’s skill level, as a UPA executive. Samin admitted, “On the record, [there were] probably better ways to go about it. At the same time… everything I said, I stand behind.”
Jimmy pointed out that the approach overshadowed the message, and Samin admitted it likely did.
UPA will obviously want to defend its brand and business to the public and investors, but those watching from the outside are going to ask the obvious questions. So, is the UPA in financial trouble? Is pro pickleball as we know (and love) it a house of cards, or is this all just a part of normal business growth?
Watch our whole pod with Samin to hear him discuss UPA’s finances, player contracts, and projected plans for 2025 and beyond:
EPISODE 120: KOTC Awards
Nearly overshadowed by the aforementioned drama, but not to be forgotten, watch to see who we (and YOU) picked for player of the year, Vanguard moment, most underrated, and more.
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