Where's the AZ Pickleball League?

Tuesday Nights are unusually quiet this year…

Once a must-see tradition on Tuesday nights for die-hard fans, the Arizona Pickleball League is owned and operated by Ashley Leroux Sullivan and Patrick Sullivan Jr. 

We have to back it up a step, though. The duo also owns Jigsaw Health, a Nutritional Supplement company that makes a product called the "Pickleball Cocktail." They make a TON of products.

They started doing Tuesday Night Pickleball, with some local and touring pros doing exhibition matches, but then quickly created the Arizona Pickleball League, an actual competitive league for players.

There have been two seasons of the Arizona Pickleball League at The Orchard (a facility in North Scottsdale with a championship-style court and great cameras). If you are a cool kid in the area, you may even play there regularly. And of course, we can’t overlook the (in)famous Orchard Security Guy, who became a character of his own:

During the first season of the Arizona Pickleball League, they filmed a documentary about it, called "Breaking Pickleball" which is now available on Amazon Prime.  

Pro players who have played in the Arizona Pickleball League include: Augie Ge, Kyle Koszuta, Alex and Angie Walker, Christa Gecheva, Lauren Mercado, Patrick Kawka (Tyler's former teammate and college roommate at BYU), Jess Wilcox, Michael Loyd, Caden Nemoff, Pesa Teoni, among many others. 

The Arizona Pickleball League is a team-based event, similar to MLP. It involves four “quarters” and has some quirky rules, like substitutions mid-match. It involves mostly local AZ players, with some players choosing to move to AZ just to play in the league. There is one match per week on Tuesdays, which is always live streamed.

Season 2 wrapped in December 2023, but they’re not done! Be on the lookout, because Season 3 is just around the corner and starts in February of 2025.

Agassi announces: Pickleball Slam 3 is coming

With a $1 million purse on the line, tennis legend Andre Agassi will defend his Pickleball Slam titles, this time in Las Vegas. The date has been set for Februrary 16, 2025 at 4 p.m. ET. It takes place on the same day as the Daytona 500 and NBA All-Star game, and will be televised on ESPN.

Pickleball Slam’s inaugural event was in 2023, as a means of bringing national attention to the world’s fastest-growing sport. David Levy, co-CEO of Horizon Sports & Entertainment (producer of the event), said in a statement that the Pickleball Slam “plays a pivotal role in this growth, showcasing the sport’s expanding appeal.”

Next year’s event will feature defending champions Agassi and his wife Steffi Graf, facing off against Andy Roddick and PPA darling Genie Bouchard. Agassi and Graf won this year’s event in February; Agassi won in 2023 with Roddick as his partner.

Events include Andre vs. Andy, followed by Steffi + Special Guest vs. Genie + Special Guest, then culminating in the headliner matchup of Agassi/Graf vs. Roddick/Bouchard.

Tickets go on sale on Friday, Sept 27th.