Brooklyn And D.C. Pickleball Teams Swap Franchise Identities In Pre-Season Shakeup
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The 2025 Major League Pickleball season is already making headlines—and not just for what’s happening on the court. In a surprising but strategic move, the ownership groups of the D.C. Pickleball Team and Brooklyn Aces have agreed to a franchise name swap, reshaping the league's geographic identity just weeks before the season opener.
The change sees the former D.C. Pickleball Team rebrand as the Brooklyn Pickleball Team, carrying over a Premier-level roster that includes Rachel Rohrabacher, Jackie Kawamoto, Dekel Bar, Riley Newman, Hannah Blatt, and Pat Smith. The squad reached the quarterfinals in the 2024 Premier playoffs and now sets its sights on building momentum in a new city with deep sporting roots.
“Looking ahead to this next chapter in Brooklyn, we’re filled with excitement about the opportunity to grow the game and create new connections in the borough I was raised in and a city with such a rich sports culture,” said Al Tylis, the team’s new principal owner. “At the same time, we’ll continue collaborating with stakeholders to ensure that our time in D.C. leaves a lasting impact.”
Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Aces brand will move south, becoming the new D.C. Pickleball Team. After a mixed 2024 campaign that included a standout Mid-Season Tournament win but ultimately saw them fall short of Challenger playoff contention, the Aces’ core—including Mari Humberg, Andrea Koop, Daniel de la Rosa, and Stefan Auvergne—will now represent the capital city.
For Rich Kleiman, principal owner of the newly branded D.C. Pickleball Team and long-time partner in Kevin Durant’s ventures, the shift is more than a marketing move—it’s a return to roots.
“Our organization has created deep roots within the DC community over the years through the work of the Durant Family Foundation and Team Durant,” Kleiman explained. “Bringing our pickleball team to D.C. to create more connectivity just makes sense.”
These two franchises aren’t the only ones undergoing transformations ahead of the new season. Several other teams are sporting fresh identities for 2025, including:
Carolina Hogs (formerly Carolina Pickleball Club)
Phoenix Flames (formerly AZ Drive)
Nashville Chefs (formerly Frisco Pandas)
All eyes now turn to MLP Orlando, the season-opening event running April 24–27 at the USTA National Campus, where fans will see these new identities in action for the first time.
As Major League Pickleball continues its meteoric rise, moves like these signal a league in full evolution—expanding not only its fanbase but also its cultural and commercial footprint across the U.S.