Celebrities & Athletes Betting Big on US Padel in 2026

Padel's rise in the United States has a grassroots story — friends discovering a sport that's easier to pick up than tennis and more social than almost anything else on a court. But there's a second engine driving the 2026 boom, and it's a lot louder: celebrities and professional athletes are pouring their names, their followings, and increasingly their money into American padel. From a Super Bowl-winning quarterback building the first courts in his state to a $15 million funding round led by an NBA team owner, the people behind padel are starting to look like a red carpet.

US Athletes Going All-In

Some of the most committed backers of American padel come straight from US sports.

Louisiana got its first-ever padel courts thanks to Drew Brees, the Super Bowl-winning former New Orleans Saints quarterback, who launched a venture to bring the sport to a state that previously had none. It's a pattern repeating across the country: an athlete with local clout opens the door, and a padel scene follows.

In Miami, the wattage is even higher. Baseball Hall of Famer Derek Jeter and six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler headlined the 2026 Reserve Cup as opposing team captains — a marquee exhibition staged by Reserve, a luxury padel brand that has made celebrity competition part of its identity. Butler is no casual participant; he reportedly learned the game from soccer icon Neymar and has become one of the sport's most visible American evangelists.

Hollywood and Music Place Their Bets

Entertainment money is moving just as fast.

Reggaeton superstar Daddy Yankee (Ramón Ayala) is arguably the most active celebrity backer in American padel. He co-leads 10by20 LLC, the operator behind 10by20 Padel Wellington in Florida, and owns a stake in the Pro Padel League along with its Orlando franchise — making him a rare celebrity invested across both clubs and the pro circuit.

Actress and producer Eva Longoria co-owns ElevenEleven, the Team USA entry in the Hexagon Cup, the celebrity-backed team competition that has become padel's glitziest showcase. And in Los Angeles, Tom Holland brought the sport to the A-list with the BERO Padel Classic — an event tied to his non-alcoholic beer brand that drew the likes of Zendaya, Steve Aoki, and Stormzy. Musicians including Adam Levine and Michael Bublé have also been spotted championing the game, helping push padel from niche to nightlife.

The Money: Investors Pile Into US Padel

Behind the famous faces is real capital.

In March 2026, the Pro Padel League announced a $15 million Series A — led by Charlotte Hornets co-chairman and governor Rick Schnall, with venture firm Left Lane Capital — on top of a $10 million seed round the year before. PPL franchises, which cost just $200,000 to join when the league launched in 2023, have since been valued at more than $10 million apiece.

The capital isn't only American, and it isn't only venture-backed. Sovereign wealth has entered the picture too, with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund moving into the padel world. NBA owners, private-equity firms, and athlete-investors are converging on the same thesis: that padel in the US is still early. The numbers behind that bet are striking — the country crossed 1,000 padel courts in spring 2026, up from roughly 688 a year earlier, and projections cited by CNBC point to as many as 15 million American players by 2030.

For the full picture of how fast the sport is scaling, see our 2026 State of the Sport report.

A Global A-List That Set the Template

The American wave is following a path blazed overseas.

The Hexagon Cup's team owners read like a global sports-and-entertainment guest list: Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, Sergio Agüero, Andy Murray, and Rafael Nadal have all fronted teams. In Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo is financing "Cidade do Padel," a 17-court complex near Lisbon, and has acquired the city's most prestigious racket club. Zlatan Ibrahimović built a luxury club chain across Sweden and Italy, and Zinédine Zidane backed padel centers in France.

None of those projects sit on US soil — but together they established the celebrity-owner playbook that American investors and athletes are now running at home.

Why Celebrities Can't Get Enough of Padel

The appeal isn't hard to understand. Padel is played in doubles, so it's inherently social — a dinner-party sport as much as an athletic one. It's far easier to pick up than tennis, with enclosed glass walls that keep rallies alive and forgive beginners, yet it has enough depth to keep elite athletes hooked. (If you're still weighing your options, our padel vs pickleball breakdown lays out the differences.)

It also photographs beautifully. The glass-walled courts, the doubles camaraderie, and the after-match social scene make padel tailor-made for the highlight reels and group chats that celebrities live in.

What the Star Power Means for Everyday Players

Celebrity attention is more than a vanity metric — it accelerates everything around the recreational player.

The money flowing into leagues and operators means more courts in more cities, and more reason for country clubs to add padel to keep pace. The pro circuit's expanding US footprint means there's more padel to watch on streaming than ever. And every post from a Jeter, a Longoria, or a Daddy Yankee nudges a few more curious newcomers toward their first session.

The bottom line: the people writing checks for padel are betting it becomes a mainstream American sport — and for players, that bet is already paying off in the form of new clubs opening nearby. Find one and check availability through Padel Browser.