The Coachella Valley Scorpions have added former ATP Top 25 tennis star and Hollywood celebrity Vince Van Patten as an injury substitute heading into this weekend’s National Pickleball League® (NPL, www.nplpickleball.com) regular-season action in Kansas City, Scorpions’ co-owner and roster player Kim Jagd announced.
The 12-team NPL Champions Pro (50+) pickleball league season continues with the Scorpions currently sitting in the middle of the standings with a 7-5 record with two more regular-season events remaining before Championship Weekend Oct. 17-20.
Jagd added that besides the addition of Malibu resident Van Patten, former professional motorcross and off-road racer Mark Mallott of Lake Havasu, Ariz., will also be used as a substitute.
A longtime World Poker Tour commentator who also appeared regularly on the BRAVO reality TV series “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”, Van Patten was a self-described “tennis snob” when he first picked up a paddle three years ago, but said he quickly fell in love with one of the nation’s fastest growing sports.
“The first couple of times I didn’t like it, then I came back and was hooked,” Van Patten said. “I’ve played tennis only once in three years. You know the funny thing about pickleball is you go to a tennis court and you hear the ball popping and no one’s really watching the matches. You show up at a pickleball court and people are laughing and having fun and talking. It’s the greatest social game there is and the most addictive game in the world. It’s a true phenomenon and I don’t see it ever slowing down.”
Van Patten said he loved seeing the news recently about his favorite comedic actor Vince Vaughn becoming a majority owner of the Scorpions. “I have not met Vince yet, but it’s so exciting and good for pickleball,” he said. “It’s neat to see him and the Hollywood community get involved more and more with pickleball.”
On Monday, Vaughn will be honored with a star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame. Vaughn, who has over a three-decade career in film and television, is well-known for such hit films as “Swingers,” “Wedding Crashers,” “Old School,” and “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story,” among countless other favorites. His next series “Bad Monkey” premieres on Apple TV+ on August 14th. The ceremony begins at 11:30 a.m.
For more information about the Coachella Valley Scorpions, go to www.scorpionspickleball.com or follow the team on Instagram: @ScorpionsPickleball and Facebook: www.facebook.com/ScorpionsPickleball.