MENOMONEE FALLS — Packers Hall of Fame wide receiver Donald Driver was all smiles (although when isn’t he??) as he received a custom, Prolite, pickleball paddle in Menomonee Falls Tuesday. The gift featured a rendering of his number 80 Packers jersey. The event in a former industrial building near Pilgrim Road and Silver Spring Drive celebrated Driver’s partnership with the local owners bringing a Pickleball Kingdom franchise to Wisconsin.
RELATED: First Pickleball Kingdom in southeast Wisconsin to open soon
Pickleball is a sport Driver, like so many other Americans, only discovered a few years ago. “Pickleball, what is this?” Driver recalled asking the first time he saw folks playing outside his gym in Texas. He decided to try, and his expectations were high. “You play at the professional level, you think you can pick up any game and play it well,” Driver recalled while talking with WTMJ Radio . He admits to overestimating himself, or at least underestimating his first ever opponents, “…these two older ladies in their 70’s.” Driver and his partner lost to those “older ladies,” 11-1.
That said, what attracted Driver to Pickleball Kingdom, which is opening a 17-court facility in the Falls this spring, is how accessible the game is. “The most important part about this game is that it allows so many people to interact with each other that may not,” Driver said. He sees the sport as a chance for family fun and building friendships. “If we can continue to bring the community together through activations like this then why not?”

Driver said he plans to be frequently present at Pickleball Kingdom. A statement from local owners Greg Straub and Doug Reigle indicated Driver will, “… become an equity investor and brand ambassador for Pickleball Kingdom’s planned locations in Menomonee Falls, Madison and Green Bay. Driver will be involved in the ownership and marketing for the locations, starting with the Menomonee Falls facility at N58 W14900 Shawn Circle, which is currently under construction and slated to open later this spring.”
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