Pickleball, a sport that blends elements of badminton, table tennis, and tennis, has been gaining popularity, and one name that stands out in the crowd is Lee Whitwell. With a background in tennis and a love for pickleball, Lee has quickly climbed to the top of the women’s tour and established herself as one of the best players in the game.

Pickleball, a sport that blends elements of badminton, table tennis, and tennis, has been gaining popularity, and one name that stands out in the crowd is Lee Whitwell. With a background in tennis and a love for pickleball, Lee has quickly climbed to the top of the women’s tour and established herself as one of the best players in the game.

LIFESTYLE

July 10, 2023

10 Beginner Pickle Ball Tips from Pro Lee Whitwell

Pickle ball has been the latest sports craze with courts popping up everywhere lately! I learned how to play pickle ball in gym class in high school and love that it has become so popular. I have had so much fun playing the past few years and find it to be the perfect active pass time.

Professional Pickleball Player, Lee Whitwell, Pairs OOfoam™ With Humour in Her Sport

“If everyone old and young had a pair of OOFOS on their feet, how unstoppable would we be?”

Professional Pickleball Player Lee Whitwell Signs Contract With Unrivaled Group

We had Lee Whitwell on the Pickleball fire podcast, the renowned MVP of Major League Pickleball (MLP) in 2021. Giving us some insight into how she started, Lee explained how she used to consider Pickleball a game for old people before she “accidentally” stepped into it.

Visit by fan favorite “Lady Gibraltar” part of lead up to Amateur Draft Championship Tournament, beginning September 3

Proof of pickleball’s steady march towards world domination is evident just about anywhere you look. Leonardo DiCaprio has a pickleball court in his house; Stephen Colbert is hosting a primetime pickleball special; billionaires like Tom Dundon and Marc Lasry have thrown their financial heft behind professional pickleball circuits the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) and Major League Pickleball (MLP). But beyond the celebrity pickleball glitterati, the truest representation of the sport’s scope and reach is Lee Whitwell, the Gibraltarian reigning MLP MVP.

Voted by her pro peers and fans as MLP’s MVP, Whitwell has quickly gained the hearts of pickleball players throughout America and is a proven fan favorite every time she steps on the court. Born in Gibraltar, Whitwell grew up playing tennis and became a Division II national champion, capturing consecutive doubles titles in 1993 and 1994 at Francis Marion University in South Carolina.

A former touring tennis pro, Whitwell has been teaching tennis for two decades and spends most of her workday organizing league play or teaching juniors at the Athletic Club of Bend, where she is the director of tennis operations at the seven-court facility. Tennis players like Whitwell’s no-bullshit style. It’s what she does in her spare time that has some of them wondering just where her allegiance lies.