How Much Do Pro Pickleball Players Make?
Compare league-reported 2024 pickleball salaries with 2026 earnings estimates, star endorsement income and the costs of competing professionally.
Pro pickleball players can make millions of dollars a year at the top—or lose money trying to qualify for tournaments. The available figures describe very different groups, not one representative average for everyone competing professionally.
One league-reported benchmark: roughly 130 players under contract with the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball collectively earned more than $30 million in 2024. Dividing $30 million by 130 gives ~$230,000 per contracted player, illustrating the scale rather than an exact average. It is not a measured 2026 average, and it excludes players outside that contracted group. Source: PPA’s 2024 season release.
What is actually reported about salaries?
The PPA’s December 2024 release reported an average salary of $260,000 for its 60-plus female contracted athletes across the PPA Tour and MLP. Its population matters: that figure refers to contracted women in those organizations, not all men and women playing professionally. Source: PPA.
CNBC’s reporting, republished by NBC Dallas–Fort Worth, clarified that the league’s more-than-$30-million collective figure was salary alone, excluding endorsement deals. It remains a league-reported total rather than an independently audited payroll dataset. Source: CNBC/NBC.
A mean also cannot tell us what the typical contracted player received. Large contracts can pull it upward, and the release does not provide a player-by-player distribution or median.
What the 2026 earnings estimates suggest
For a more recent view, professional player and former CPA Zane Navratil estimated earnings across several player tiers. The Dink published a summary on April 23, 2026, describing income from league contracts, prize money, sponsorships and teaching.
These are practitioner estimates—not audited salaries or a representative earnings survey. They are useful for understanding the spread, not for calculating what a randomly selected pro earns. Source: The Dink’s summary of Navratil’s analysis.
| Player group in Navratil’s model | Estimated annual gross income | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| Highly marketable players below the two biggest stars, “A-tier” | ~$1.35 million | Combined income, not tournament winnings alone |
| “B-tier” players | ~$430,000 | A modeled tier figure, not an official tour average |
| “C-tier” players | ~$95,000 | Before playing expenses and taxes |
| Developing, non-contracted qualifiers, “D-tier” | ~$11,000 | Mostly prize money; the model shows a loss after expenses |
The tier labels belong to this analysis; they are not official PPA contract categories. Nor does the published summary establish a reliable median for all professional players.
How much do Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters make?
Two directly attributed figures illustrate the earning potential of exceptional stars:
- Ben Johns: In May 2024, he told CNBC he expected to make at least $2.5 million that year from salary and endorsement deals combined. CNBC explicitly corrected its story to distinguish that total from salary alone. Source: CNBC interview.
- Anna Leigh Waters: In September 2024, her agent, Kelly Wolf, told Forbes that Waters would earn more than $3 million that year. The report discussed her substantial sponsorship portfolio alongside her professional playing career. Source: Forbes interview.
Both were forward-looking statements made during 2024—not audited year-end totals or confirmed 2026 earnings. They do not describe a normal starting salary.
Prize money, total income and take-home pay are different
A useful comparison separates three numbers:
- Playing compensation: guaranteed contract payments, appearance payments and tournament or team-event prize money.
- Total gross income: playing compensation plus cash sponsorships, royalties, clinics, lessons and other paid work.
- Take-home income: what remains after travel, entry fees, equipment, coaching, other business expenses and taxes.
Contract status matters, too. The PPA’s guide for its 2026–27 system says contract levels differ principally in the prize money available, while some legacy players retain different arrangements. Two players achieving the same result therefore need not receive the same payout. Source: PPA’s tour guide.
For developing players, expenses can overwhelm winnings. Navratil’s model puts non-contracted qualifiers at ~$11,000 gross income against more than $30,000 in annual competition costs for a full schedule. That is an estimated scenario, not a universal budget, but it explains why competing in pro events does not automatically mean earning a living. Source: The Dink.
When comparing earnings claims, check the year, player population and whether the figure means salary, total gross income or take-home pay.