Tama Shimabukuro

Profile

Tama Shimabukuro is a young pickleball prodigy from the US. In 2023, while at a skateboarding event in California, he saw pickleball, bought a wooden paddle at Target, and started the sport. In just over a year he reached pro level, becoming one of the most watched teenagers in pickleball.

Career and record

He began playing PPA events in 2024, winning one silver and two bronze medals in the 5.0 division. In the 2026 MLP draft he was picked 9th overall by the Utah Black Diamonds for $125,000, becoming a major talking point as the youngest player to make the top 10. Being drafted at just 14 at the time symbolized the trend of the whole league shifting toward investing in promising teenagers.

Play style

His unique weapons are the balance and reflexes honed in skateboarding. He has a court sense far more mature than his age suggests, with quick hands at the net and bold shot selection as his forte. As he grows, physical improvement is also expected.

Paddle and sponsor

He is with Selkirk Sport. In MLP he belongs to the Utah Black Diamonds.

Latest developments

In the 2026 season he is expected to thrive on both MLP and the PPA Tour. As a standard-bearer of the pickleball world's "teenager revolution," he is seen as a figure who will carry the sport's future.

📎 Reference: PPA Tour | The Dink | Conway Bulletin