Ben Johns Looks Forward to Pro Pickleball’s Growth, Will Keep Going If Love for Sport Remains
Ben Johns is arguably the GOAT of pickleball. He’s done it all in the pro circuit—and he’s still at the top of his game five years into his professional career and nine years since he first played the sport.
Championship after championship, medal after medal, Ben has no doubt made the most out of pickleball, building for himself an outsized legacy as one of the sport’s pioneer stars. It’s not all that bad for something Ben picked up in 2016 as “a fun game.”
“I just picked it up in 2016 as kind of a fun game, just like anybody that plays normally. It’s a very enjoyable sport, and some nine years later, I find myself playing professional pickleball tournaments in New York City and here in a wonderful studio, so it’s a cool life,” Ben recently told journalist Erica Hill in an exclusive interview with CNN News Central.
The Why and the How: Ben Johns Picked Up a Fun Game and Became Legend
But why pick up the paddle in the first place—and why keep playing anyway?
The answer is exactly why so many people around the world are also drawn to pickleball.
“There’s a lot of things about pickleball that are really engaging, but it was the same for me initially as it is for most people now, which is just that you can play with anybody and have a great time. I started in a community where it was mostly elderly people, and I still enjoyed playing with them. I love to just meet new people, and I think that has continued, not just to be a sport for older people, but a sport for everybody,” Ben explained.
In other words, pickleball brings people together, and it’s something Ben loves.
“Anybody can play, and because of that you meet a lot of people you wouldn’t otherwise meet in kind of your normal day-to-day lifestyle, so it’s just a very interesting sport in that it kind of brings a lot of people together from very different backgrounds,” he added.
Ben Johns Sees Exciting Times Ahead for Pickleball
This interesting sport has no doubt grown by leaps and bounds and is still growing… and growing… and growing. So, it’s probably safe to say that the pro level will grow along with this meteoric rise of pickleball. It’s no wonder Ben describes this growth as “miraculous” and is looking forward to whatever comes next.
“It’s only five years in. The pro tour started in 2020. Just miraculous growth in every way. Fans are super engaged, more networks covering events, and more and more pro players, so on the circuit it’s more and more competitive,” Ben said about pro pickleball. “There’s also more selection of tournaments internationally. We’re going to Asia later this year. It’s been a very cool journey so far, and I’m just looking forward to all the things happening in pro pickleball.”
With so much to look forward to, the question is: How long will Ben be playing as a pro?
It’s a fair question to ask because in 2023, Ben told The Dink Pickleball podcast that he’ll retire within six years–or when he’s 30. But it turns out, nothing is set in stone and the answer is contingent on his love for pickleball.
“We’ll see. I never plan my life out that far ahead. I’m just enjoying every day, every year one at a time,” he said. “If I get to 30 and I’m just like, ‘You know what? I’ve had enough. It’s been fun,’ then sure, but if I still love it at that time, then I’ll keep going.”
Ben turned 26 this 6 July 2025, and if that timeline two years ago stands, he’d be playing up to 2029 only. The good news is he’s open to anything—including extending what has been an illustrious career so far.
Yes, that depends on whether he still loves the sport four years from now. We have a strong feeling he still will.
