Dirk Nowitzki, Terrell Owens to headline Celebrity Pickleball Showdown at Pickleball World Championships

Alex Lantz

Director of Content

Last Edited

Oct 30 2025

Category

News

Dallas Mavericks legend and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki will headline next week's Celebrity Pickleball Showdown at the Pickleball World Championships just outside of Dallas.

Nowitzki will be joined on court by former Dallas Cowboys star and Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Owens, World Series champion J.D. Martinez and renowned online streaming personality Tfue.

The event will take place on Championship Court at Brookhaven Country Club at 7 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Nov. 5, and will benefit the Dirk Nowitzki Foundation through donations and an on-site raffle. Fans around the country can also catch the action live on Tennis Channel.

Nowitzki and Owens have participated in the event previously and are both avid pickleball players, while Martinez is a high-level player who has previously indicated he plans to pursue pro pickleball in retirement.

Tfue (whose real name is Turner Tenney), has more than 37 million followers across platforms and is best known for streaming Fortnite, among other games.

“This year’s Showdown will be such a unique event as greats from the big three American sports and a booming entertainment arena face the best of America’s fastest growing sport on the biggest stage in all of pickleball," said Connor Pardoe, Founder and CEO of the PPA Tour. "These athletes are passionate about pickleball and will definitely be putting on a show for fans at the Jenius Bank Pickleball World Championships.”

The celebrities will be competing against top pickleball pros Ben Johns, Genie Bouchard, Jack Sock, Anna Bright and Tyson McGuffin, with more to be announced.

More than 3,500 players will compete at the Pickleball World Championships on more than 80 courts, and tens of thousands more are expected to attend as spectators.

Looking to catch all the action in person? Buy tickets here.

“I have participated in the last few Pickleball Showdowns, and it is always so much fun,” said Nowitzki. “The event gets better every year as the national audience for pickleball continues to grow. We are also extremely grateful for the support the PPA is showing our Foundation this year through the raffle proceeds and encourage everyone to come out and purchase tickets to win some really great items.”

The Dirk Nowitzki Foundation is dedicated to putting children first and assisting them through programs focusing on their well-being, health and education. It awards grants annually and funds projects to nonprofit organizations that run true to the overall mission of the organization. The Foundation lifts up children who are affected by illness, poverty, abuse and neglect through proper channels of guidance and directs them on a path to success.

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