Record-Setting Auction Tops $1 Million

Christian Alshon + Genie Bouchard traded. Drug testing compliance for Olympic hopefuls.

Author

Empower Pickleball
March 03, 2026

Happy March to you and your pickleball crew.

It wasn’t exactly a schoolyard pick at the Major League Pickleball headquarters last week. Team owners were inking massive checks to land their favorite players in the MLP auction draft last Friday.

With the draft concluded, teams have already started dealing to get their rosters settled for the 2026 season.

  • Texas Ranchers receive Dylan Frazier, Matthew Barlow, and cash considerations from the Brooklyn Pickleball Team for Christian Alshon and Luca Mack.

  • Los Angeles Mad Drops receive Genie Bouchard from the Florida Smash in exchange for Paula Rives Palau and cash considerations.

  • Atlanta Bouncers receive Jessie Irvine from the Phoenix Flames for Daria Walczak and cash.

And in case pro pickleball isn’t your cup of tea, we’ve got tips and tricks to help your game and a can’t-miss event for all racquet sports aficionados.

Inside:

  • Anna Bright draws 7-figure price tag

  • Using spin on every shot

  • Why tennis elbow can’t be ignored

💰 Pickleball’s First Million Dollar Player

Major League Pickleball’s 2026 season is right around the corner. Last week, the league hosted its draft to fill out existing rosters and supply the league’s new team, the Palm Beach Royals, with six new players.

The grand prize of this draft was the No. 2-ranked women’s player in the world, Anna Bright.

Bidding War #1

The format of the draft was an auction. Teams bid on the draft positions where they could select the player of their choosing. Bright was surprisingly dropped by the St. Louis Shock at the keeper deadline, which made her an obvious choice for the first pick.

The Shock were hoping to land Bright back on the squad at a discount but ran into the unrivaled bidding expertise of Gary Vee, who drove the price up over a million dollars.

When the dust settled, the Shock forked over $1.23 million to the league in order to bring back their team leader.

Bidding War #2

With money flying around the “War Zoom,” the second pick went up for grabs and started attracting bids. The obvious choice here was Jorja Johnson who was dropped by the Dallas Flash.

Gary Vee and the New Jersey 5s rolled out the same playbook and drove up the price for Johnson. This time, however, they pushed the Flash past their breaking point and stole Johnson away from the Flash for $800K.

Youth Movement

Prices came back to earth in the following rounds, but one surprising trend was the influx of young and international players into the league.

  • Australian player Danni-Elle Townsend was scooped up by the defending champion Columbus Sliders with the 3rd overall pick.

  • The Utah Black Diamonds took 15-year-old Tama Shimabukuro with the 9th overall pick.

  • Another 15-year-old, Cailyn Campbell, went to the SoCal Hard Eights with the 13th pick.

See where your favorite players like Tyson McGuffin, Jack Sock, and Genie Bouchard landed in the complete draft recap.

The MLP season kicks off May 22 in Dallas. Find the full calendar of events here.

🌎 Around the Picklesphere

🏝️ One man changing the game for this island country
🎤 The racquet sports conference you don’t want to miss
🦵 Your legs should be sore the next day
⏳ The biggest upset in 2026
🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Be a part of the Empower Pickleball Fam. Sport the gear!

😵‍💫 Types of Spin, When & How to Use Them

Credit: Champions Series Pickleball

Most rec players chase power. Better players use spin to control the court.

Here’s the quick breakdown:

  • Topspin lets you swing bigger with margin. The ball dips faster and kicks forward, which makes it perfect for third-shot drives and roll volleys at the kitchen.

  • Backspin keeps the ball low and skidding. It’s a weapon on returns and resets because it steals your opponent’s favorite contact height.

  • Sidespin creates angles and pulls players off the court. Wide serves and ATP attempts get a lot more dangerous with it.

At higher-levels, spin is used not just once in a while—it’s on every shot. It makes life difficult for the other team. It’s no longer just “See ball, hit ball.” They must think about how the ball will bounce, how it will travel through the air, and how it will react off the paddle.

👉 Get educated on how to add more spin to your game here.

🏆 Tournament Season Starts Here

Registration and ticket sales are officially open for the 2026 APP Sacramento Open Benefiting Shriners Children’s—April 30-May 3 in Sacramento, CA.

This USA Pickleball Golden Ticket event is open to players across skill levels looking to compete for a Nationals bid.

Not playing? Grab a GA or VIP ticket to watch top pros up close—plus jump into fan courts like Target Drills and Beat the Pro throughout the weekend.

💪 The “Tennis Elbow” Reality Check: Prevention Strategies for Picklers

Your elbow doesn’t randomly go bad. It whispers first. A little soreness after a long session. A dull ache when gripping your paddle. A backhand that suddenly feels weaker.

“Tennis elbow” is usually a load and capacity problem, not an inflammation issue you can ice away. In pickleball, grip pressure, repetitive dinking, late contact, and sudden jumps in play volume quietly overload the tendon over time.

The elbow is one of the most common pain sites in the sport, and the biggest myth is that you can simply rest your way out of it. Real durability comes from managing volume, easing the death grip, and progressively strengthening the wrist extensors.

If your elbow is whispering, listen early. If it is yelling, rebuild smart.

👉 Read the full breakdown and prevention plan here.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

When Pickleball First Hit the Press

Contributed by Jennifer Lucore, Pickleball Hall of Famer and historian — author of History of Pickleball — More Than 50 Years of Fun! • Visit allpickleball.com

🩺 Prepping Pickleball for Olympic Compliance

Credit: APP

Pickleball fans love to talk about the Olympics.

But at the Clean Sport Seminar with the Global Pickleball Federation and the International Testing Agency, the message was clear: if the sport wants the rings, it has to live by Olympic rules.

An Olympian once lost a gold medal over cold medicine prescribed by a doctor. No intent to cheat. Just a banned ingredient and strict liability.

  • Miss a doping test for a sponsorship appearance? Violation.

  • Forget your daily whereabouts filing? Violation.

  • Take a contaminated supplement? Still your responsibility.

The Olympic dream is not just about growth and TV deals. It is about governance, discipline, and accepting that “I didn’t know” is never a defense.

👉 Read more about pickleball’s journey to the Olympics here.

Interested in having your event listed? Reach out to us and let’s chat!

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