Quick Answer: Nike does not make a pickleball paddle in 2026. Nike’s only pickleball move is an apparel and footwear deal — signed in January 2026 with phenom Anna Leigh Waters, the first pickleball athlete on Nike’s roster — plus its first dedicated pickleball shoe, the Nike Zoom Challenge PB. Waters’ paddle is a separate, Nike-unrelated sponsorship: a multi-year deal with Franklin Sports that ended her seven-year run with Paddletek.
If you landed here searching for a Nike paddle, you’re not imagining things — Nike genuinely entered pickleball this year, just not the part of the sport you’re shopping for.
Why this search exists: a real Nike deal, a different product category
In January 2026, Nike signed Anna Leigh Waters — an 18-year-old who had already dominated pickleball’s pro tour for years — to a multi-year apparel and footwear deal, per CNBC’s coverage of the signing. It was a real, widely-reported milestone: the first time pickleball’s biggest star put on a swoosh. Waters debuted the kit at the PPA Masters in Rancho Mirage, California, wearing Nike’s Zoom Challenge PB shoes — at the time Nike’s only dedicated pickleball footwear.
What that deal does not include is a paddle, a bag, or a ball. Nike has stayed out of pickleball hardware entirely. The confusion is understandable — when a brand that size signs the sport’s top player, it’s a reasonable assumption that the swoosh shows up on her paddle too. It doesn’t.
What Anna Leigh Waters actually plays with
Two days after Waters and Paddletek “mutually announced” the end of their seven-year partnership, Franklin Sports announced it had signed her as its new paddle sponsor — a deal reported to be worth millions, with Waters helping design a signature line of paddles, bags, and accessories. She was actually photographed testing a Franklin paddle alongside her new Nike apparel before either sponsorship was formally confirmed — which is the exact combination (Nike apparel, Franklin paddle) that makes “Nike pickleball paddle” such a common search despite not existing as a product.
This site already has a dedicated roundup of Franklin’s lineup — see our best Franklin pickleball paddle guide for the models closest to what Waters is now playing with.
What to buy instead
Since Nike doesn’t sell paddle hardware, your actual options split into two categories:
| If you want... | Buy this instead | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Nike-branded gear for the court | Nike Zoom Challenge PB shoes + Nike apparel | Nike's only real pickleball products — see our best pickleball shoes guide |
| What Anna Leigh Waters actually swings | Franklin Sports paddle lineup | Her real 2026 paddle sponsor — see our best Franklin pickleball paddle roundup |
| A top-rated paddle regardless of pro endorsement | Site pillar picks (JOOLA, Selkirk, CRBN, Vatic Pro) | See our best pickleball paddle guide |
1. Nike Zoom Challenge PB — for Nike-branded court gear
Nike Zoom Challenge PB
- Built specifically for pickleball's lateral, stop-start movement pattern, rather than being a repurposed tennis or running shoe — the same category of purpose-built design covered in our pickleball shoes guide.
- The shoe Anna Leigh Waters wore to debut her Nike kit at the PPA Masters in Rancho Mirage, California — Nike's actual on-court product, as opposed to a paddle that doesn't exist.
- If Nike's build quality and fit is what you're after, this is the legitimate way to get it on a pickleball court in 2026.
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2. Franklin paddle lineup — what Waters actually plays with
Franklin Sports Pickleball Paddles
- Franklin signed Waters to a multi-year deal reported to be worth millions, ending her seven-year partnership with Paddletek — she's helping design a signature line of paddles, bags, and accessories as part of the contract.
- If the goal is "what does pickleball's best player actually swing," this is the real answer — not a Nike product that was never released.
- See our full best Franklin pickleball paddle breakdown for the current lineup and pricing.
Nike in pickleball, by the numbers
- January 2026. When Nike signed Anna Leigh Waters, making her the first pickleball athlete on Nike’s roster, for a multi-year apparel and footwear deal.
- 0. The number of Nike-branded pickleball paddles that have ever shipped, as of this writing.
- 7 years. The length of Waters’ prior paddle partnership with Paddletek before she moved to Franklin Sports — a deal entirely separate from, and unrelated to, her Nike apparel contract.
- 24.3 million. U.S. pickleball players in 2025 per the Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s 2026 Pickleball Single Sport Report — the kind of growth that’s drawn a brand the size of Nike into the sport’s apparel and footwear market in the first place.
The bottom line
“Nike pickleball paddle” is a search for a product that doesn’t exist — Nike’s real 2026 pickleball footprint is the Zoom Challenge PB shoe and apparel on Anna Leigh Waters, not hardware. Her paddle is a Franklin Sports signature line, the result of a separate contract that ended her seven-year run with Paddletek. If you want Nike’s name on your gear, the shoe is the legitimate buy; if you want what the sport’s top player actually swings, look at Franklin’s lineup instead. For a wider view that isn’t tied to any one pro’s sponsorship, our best pickleball paddle guide covers the field.