Vince Vaughn is switching sports: He’s going from dodgeball to pickleball.
The award-winning Hollywood actor, who starred in 2004 comedy Dodgeball, has acquired a majority stake in the Coachella Valley Scorpions, one of 12 teams in the National Pickleball League. Vaughn is teaming up with Scorpions co-owner and NPL player Kim Jagd, who will remain as a minority owner once the transaction is complete. Vaughn joins an ownership group that also includes team CEO Rob Zwemmer, Ruth Ann Poppa and Don Zuker.
The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Jagd, who helped lead the Indy Drivers to their first NPL title last season, used her ties to the pickleball community to play an integral role in getting Vaughn signed on. She first started playing with Vaughn in Manhattan Beach before he inquired about joining the ownership group for the locally focused NPL expansion club. The rest was history as the Wedding Crashers actor became the latest celebrity to invest in the growth of pickleball.
NPL, a nationwide pickleball league for players 50 years old and older, is in the midst of its second season after expanding from six teams to 12 earlier this year. The league’s championship weekend is set for Oct. 17-20, though the location has yet to be announced.
