Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, by Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum. The game originated as a family activity when the inventors improvised with a badminton net, ping pong paddles, and a perforated plastic ball to entertain their families on a summer afternoon. They developed the rules and the sport evolved from there, with the first permanent pickleball court constructed in 1967.
