99% Pickleball
99% Pickleball is a weekly podcast for the people driving the sport forward: everyday players.
Hosted by pro pickleball player Mari Humberg and content creator Nikki Maldonado, the show covers the conversations shaping pickleball right now, from pro tour headlines and industry drama to community stories, trends, gear, and the personalities building the sport from every angle.
Each episode blends current events, honest opinions, and interviews with players, creators, founders, insiders, and voices across the pickleball world.
Whether you’re deep in the sport or just trying to keep up with what everyone’s talking about at open play, 99% Pickleball is built for the sport’s 99%.
Episodes
12 episodes
Tito Machado: What Your DUPR Is Really Telling You
If you play pickleball, there’s a good chance you’ve checked your DUPR after a match and either celebrated, questioned the algorithm, or wondered how the heck your rating just went down after a win.For the Season 1 finale of ...
Kyle Koszuta: The Mind Behind That Pickleball Guy
What separates a good pickleball player from someone who sees the game completely differently?This week on 99% Pickleball, Mari Humberg and Nikki Maldonado are joined by Kyle Koszuta, professional pickleball player and the creator behind...
Building a Career in Pickleball
What does working full-time in pickleball really look like?This week on 99% Pickleball, Mari Humberg and Nikki Maldonado pull back the curtain on the very different careers they've built around the sport.Mari ...
Leigh Waters: Building a Champion Without Losing the Joy
What does it take to help build one of pickleball's greatest careers while making sure the game stays fun?This week on 99% Pickleball, Mari Humberg and Nikki Maldonado sit down with Leigh Waters, former professional pickleb...
Ngoc Nguyen: The Strategist Shaping Pickleball in Entertainment & Philanthropy
What does it take for pickleball to become a truly mainstream sport?This week, Mari Humberg and Nikki Maldonado are joined by entertainment publicist, producer, and strategist Ngoc Nguyen, whose work spans Hollywood, philanthropy,...
Sydney Steinaker: Reimagining the Pickleball Experience
What if pickleball could be more than just open play and tournaments?This week, Mari Humberg and Nikki Maldonado are joined by Sydney Steinaker, founder of Bassline Sports, to discuss how she's blending music, entertainment, and communit...
Darrin Klinger: Raising a Champion Without Losing Perspective
What does it take to raise one of the top young players in professional pickleball?This week, Mari Humberg and Nikki Maldonado are joined by Darrin Klinger, coach, mentor, and father of professional pickleball player CJ Klinger, for one ...
Inside Pro Pickleball Through Two Different Lenses
There's never a dull moment in professional pickleball.This week, Mari Humberg and Nikki Maldonado break down one of the craziest weekends in professional pickleball from two very different perspectives. As a recently traded MLP player, ...
Adam Behnke: Growing the Game From the Ground Up
What does it actually take to grow a sport?This week, Mari Humberg and Nikki Maldonado are joined by Adam Behnke, COO of the Brooklyn Pickleball Team, to discuss the work happening beyond the professional level to help grow pickleball in...
Zane Navratil & Nico the Lefty: The Rise of Pickleball Content
If you've spent any time on pickleball social media, you've probably come across Zane Navratil and Nico the Lefty.In one of the funniest conversations we've had so far on 99% Pickleball, Zane and Nico join Mari Humberg and Nikki Maldonad...
Sarah Ansboury: Growing Pickleball Without Losing What Makes It Special
Sarah Ansboury has spent years helping shape pickleball both on and off the court.In this week's episode of 99% Pickleball, Sarah joins Mari Humberg and Nikki Maldonado to discuss the sport's rapid growth, her work building coaching educ...
How Two Completely Different Players Fell Into Pickleball
Why does pickleball feel so different now than it did a few years ago?In the first episode of 99% Pickleball, hosts Mari Humberg and Nikki Maldonado break down how they found the sport, what pulled them into it, and why they felt the pic...