USA Pickleball Names Steve Wong VP of Competition

Steve Wong is a six-time gold medalist at the USA Pickleball National Championships, the founder of pickleball equipment powerhouse Onix Sports and a member of the Pickleball Hall of Fame. Now he can add another title to his resume.

Earlier today USA Pickleball (USAP) announced Wong, a native of Seattle, as the governing body’s Vice President of Competition. In this capacity, Wong will oversee all USAP competitions as well as manage USAP’s growth strategy while streamlining USAP’s tournaments – an especially important task given the grassroots nature of the sport.

According to a USAP press release announcing Wong’s executive role, Wong aims to leverage his extensive background in the sport as a means of accelerating its growth and the manner in which USAP serves its membership. 

“I am beyond ecstatic to join USA Pickleball (once again) in this role of Vice President of Competition,” Wong said in a statement released by USAP. “I hope to incorporate my history and passion for the game to propel the sport to the next level and someday see pickleball in the Olympics. I’m looking forward to serving the pickleball community and I appreciate everyone’s support for USA Pickleball.”

A Decorated Career in Professional Pickleball

Wong began his pickleball journey in 1991, when he was in eighth grade. The Seattle native quickly became one of the best players in the world, winning 38 official gold medals, despite playing in an era before the results of many tournaments were recorded. In addition to his USAP national titles, Wong has won the U.S. Open and the Canadian National Championships. 

Growing the Game Off the Court

Equally, if not more, impressive are Wong’s off-court contributions to the sport; in 2005, Wong was named to the first-ever board of USAP, playing a critical role getting the newly founded organization off-the-ground. That same year, he founded the third pickleball paddle company in the world at that time – S-Type Sports. Wong renamed the company Onix, before selling it in 2015. Wong also co-founded the Surprise Pickleball Association. The organization helped Surprise, AZ develop into one of the most recognized regions associated with the sport.

In 2021,  in recognition of his global contributions to what many consider to be the fastest growing participatory sport in the history of the U.S., Wong was named to the Pickleball Hall of Fame.

What This Means for USA Pickleball

Wong’s appointment comes at a crucial time for the sport of pickleball. The sport is seeing unprecedented growth – there were 36.5 million players nationwide in 2022, up nearly 160% from three years prior, and that number figures to keep growing once the data from 2023 is released. Meanwhile, as the sport grows exponentially at the amateur level, pro pickleball is seeing increasing turmoil. A merger between the PPA Tour and MLP has left players unhappy after they were asked to take 40% pay cuts. The merger had originally been announced in November of 2022, before nearly being called off and finally agreed upon in September.

Wong’s plans include stabilizing the sport’s future on the professional side of the business while continuing the sport’s growth among amateurs.

According to USAP Chief Operating Officer Justin Maloof, the organization is excited to have one of the most influential figures in the history of the sport back on board as USAP navigates pickleball’s future.

“On behalf of our team, I am thrilled to welcome Steve back to USA Pickleball,” Maloof said in USAP’s announcement. “Steve was one of the first contacts I had the pleasure of meeting when I started at USA Pickleball a dozen years ago and he’s been one of the most dedicated and impactful figures in pickleball over the last two decades.”  

Congrats to USAP!