
NFL legend Donald Driver passionate about pickleball: 'It's an opportunity to live a healthy lifestyle'
Green Bay Packers legend Donald Driver could've easily walked away from pickleball after being humbled during his first-ever experience on the 20x44.
It happened about five-and-half years ago in Grapevine, TX, but he remembers it like it was yesterday - probably because the final score wasn't exactly flattering.
And his opponents were a little older, too.
"I was in my fitness center looking through the window at all these basketball courts with a sign that said "Pickleball League" on it. I was like, 'What is pickleball? What is this thing?’ Someone said it was like tennis and ping-pong combined, so I immediately wanted to try it," recalled Driver, who turns 50 on Sunday. "I go over and there’s these two elderly ladies kind of warming up. I said, 'Excuse me, can I join?' They were like, 'Yeah, it would be great to play with somebody,' so I went to get another former pro athlete to play some doubles. We didn't really know the rules of the game, and we ended up losing 11-1. They blasted us. They were doing all kinds of shots and twisting the ball with spin in different ways."
Instead of hanging up his paddle for good, though, the 14-year NFL veteran wide receiver, Super Bowl champion, and four-time Pro Bowler decided that he would stick with pickleball and explore the game further.
World-class athletes like Driver embrace adversity, of course, and find ways to rise above it.
"After that match, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, this game is intriguing,' so I kind of just started wanting to play more. We put a pickleball court in the house. We have a full-size basketball court and we put pickleball lines on it, so I play all the time with my wife and kids. It's very entertaining," he explained. "For me, it was a challenge to see if I could play the game. You always challenge yourself. In my case, it was 'Ok, how long do I want to play in the NFL?' There were challenges in high school, college, and pro. Then I went on Dancing with the Stars and I ended up winning the season, but it was a challenge because people told me that I couldn't do it. Pickleball has been an amazing challenge, too, and I love the game."
Earlier this week, Driver cemented his relationship with America's fastest-growing sport when he officially embarked on a partnership with Pickleball Kingdom to spearhead the development of clubs across Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Driver will launch a flagship club in Menomonee Falls, WI in early March, and additional clubs are planned for Green Bay and Madison.
"The biggest piece of this is getting people to love this game. It’s one of the healthiest games in the world. The one thing I've learned about pickleball is you don’t have to be the fastest, the quickest, or the most skilled player out there, you’ve just got to play your game. That’s what I saw from the two ladies that I played against. I thought I was faster and quicker, but that didn't matter," he shared. "They had a purpose: 'We’re going to beat Donald. It doesn’t matter how fast he is or how quick he is, we’re going to beat him because we have a purpose in this thing.' I thought my skills were better, but their purpose was better than mine."
Wins and losses aside, Driver's association with Pickleball Kingdom is especially meaningful to him because pickleball gets people moving and trending in the right direction health-wise.
The co-founder of Driven Elite Fitness & Health is passionate about helping others embark on a successful workout journey with pickleball as a primary vehicle.
"The biggest piece for us in the fitness world is, we ask people every single day that walk into our gyms: 'How long do you want to live?' Pickleball is another opportunity to take care of your body because a lot of people don’t want to go into the weight room or run on the treadmill. They’ve done that for years. Sometimes the results pay off, and sometimes they don’t. Pickleball focues on things like lateral movement, hand-eye coordination, and strength-building, so we want to keep promoting that," explained Driver. "If we can change one person’s life by bringing more pickleball to Wisconsin, Minnesota, and across the country, then we’ve done a good thing. It’s getting people off the couch and getting people to be active. We can do that one person at a time and one pickleball game at a time."
While the Packers' all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards holds an annual pickleball tournament in Texas where he currently resides, an event is happening in Wisconsin as well.
The Donald Driver Foundation Pickleball Fundraiser Tournament is slated for July 26 at Lake Geneva Tennis and Pickleball in Lake Geneva, WI. Registration begins March 1.
"I love that everybody can play pickleball. I think sometimes we get to the point in life where we kind of get dormant, where we feel like we can’t go any farther than we are. Pickleball is one of those games that you can play from age 5 until you’re in your 80s or 90s. That’s a life lesson to be able to stay healthy and have longevity," concluded Driver. "I want to continue to evolve this game, so more people can understand that it’s fun, entertaining, and it’s an opportunity to live a healthy lifestyle."