Season 2 of Pickleballers kicks off with a bang as we’re joined by the greatness of the GOAT himself — Ben Johns. Widely considered the Michael Jordan of pickleball, Ben has racked up 150+ gold medals and once ripped off a 108-match winning streak in singles. Mind-bending dominance.

In this episode, Ben opens up about what it’s really like to be the greatest pickleball player alive. He takes us back to his childhood, the moment he fell in love with the game, and how Kyle Yates took him under his wing as he climbed to World No. 1.

Ben also shares never-before-heard stories about his on-court dynamic with his brother Collin Johns, the criticism that he can sometimes look too relaxed, and whether he believes the “next Ben Johns” even exists.

The GOAT. The era. The legacy. Episode 1 starts now.

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(00:00) - Intro

(02:05) - Austin vs. Boca lifestyle

(03:41) - Childhood in Maryland and homeschooling

(05:00) - Table tennis and siblings

(07:15) - Collin’s tennis career

(10:16) - How Ben discovered pickleball

(12:14) - First tournament at the 2016 US Open

(13:38) - Kyle Yates’ mentorship in 2017

(18:55) - When Ben realized pickleball was his future

(20:45) - Ben’s college years

(24:17) - Engineering pickleball paddles

(26:11) - Lifetime deal with JOOLA

(28:07) - Why JOOLA’s leap into pickleball was genius

(29:03) - When Kyle Yates “created a monster”

(30:25) - The 2018–2019 domination run

(32:11) - Building chemistry with Simone and facing Tyson

(33:15) - Mindset, pressure, and staying humble

(35:28) - Why learning faster keeps Ben ahead

(38:11) - Drilling with Collin and mastering patterns

(39:13) - Developing the two-handed backhand counter

(40:41) - The Matt Wright partnership years

(41:04) - Handling pressure, fans, and criticism

(43:01) - When losing becomes data, not defeat

(44:19) - Battling focus, boredom, and longevity

(46:02) - PPA control vs. MLP chaos

(48:04) - Why playing with Ben isn’t easy

(50:26) - The Collin chapter and the difficult split

(53:46) - How paddle tech changed the sport

(56:50) - Power vs. spin and what fans really want

(59:37) - 2019 vs. 2025 pickleball

(01:01:29) - What Ben wishes he had—and what really wins matches

(01:03:03) - The art of decision-making and playing percentages

(01:06:59) - The moments that humbled Ben Johns

(01:10:06) - Legacy, perspective, and doing things right

(01:11:33) - The search for the next Ben Johns

(01:12:36) - What Ben learned from Asia

(01:14:23) - Could Ben and Anna Leigh win men’s doubles?

(01:15:59) - Who’s more dominant—Ben or Anna Leigh?

(01:16:15) - How two Anna Leighs would fare in men’s doubles