Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, by three men: Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum. They created the game as a way for their families and kids to have fun together when they found their families bored one summer afternoon. The game combined elements of badminton, table tennis, and a wiffle ball, initially played on a badminton court with ping pong paddles and a perforated plastic ball. The first permanent pickleball court was built in 1967 in Pritchard’s backyard, and the three men developed the rules and equipment over the following years
. The name "pickleball" was coined by Joan Pritchard, Joel Pritchard's wife, referring to the "pickle boat" in crew races, rather than the family dog named Pickles, which was born after the game was created
