By Joe James
What’s the story?
The 2024 Nike Dink Awards saw a record-breaking number of 13,000 votes, doubling the number cast last year.
Pickleball’s official people’s choice awards rise in popularity runs parallel with the rapid growth the sport has overseen this past year.
The Dink awards recognise content creators, entertainment and players across three separate categories, with the latter announced at the beginning of the week.
Ben Johns won the coveted ‘Go Next Level – Men’s Player of The Year’ with a 34.3% share of the votes after yet another stellar year on the PPA Tour.
Johns earned 32 gold medals overall, winning seven titles alongside his brother and former partner, Collin Johns.
Anna Leigh Waters took home the ‘Go Next Level – Women’s Player of The Year’ as she swept up 55.9% of the votes thanks to a year that saw the highest-paid athlete in pickleball secure her 29th Triple Crown at the PPA Virginia Beach Cup.
The two major winners also won 16 of their 17 tournaments together in the mixed doubles format.
Other winners included Steve Deakin, Lee Whitwell, Gabe Tardio and Hurricane Tyra Black, Jack Munro and Daescu & Bright.
The Recap
The Dink Award’s ‘Pro Player Categories’ has eight awards up for grabs, each highlighting significance and success across pickleball at the professional level.
Men’s player of the year went to Ben Johns, who’s dominance and consistency shone through as Federico Staksrud, PPA singles and doubles number one finished runner-up with 28% of the vote in the same week the Argentinian announced his partnership with Adidas.
Anna Leigh Waters soaring popularity was reflected in her resounding win as she accumulated over half of the vote (55.9%).
Anna Bright finished second after an excellent year that saw the 25-year-old collect 10 gold medals.
The ‘Most Improved Players’ went to Gabe Tardio (33.2% of the vote) in the male category and Hurricane Tyra Black (31.9% of the vote) in the female category.
Black, 23, has not only tasted success on the pickleball court but also previously as a professional tennis player.
Steve Deakin secured 26.5% of the vote as he was awarded ‘Men’s Senior Player of the Year’ after a remarkable undefeated season of 57-0 on the senior pro play of the PPA Tour.
Atlaf Merchant, who the season before in 2023 went 59-0, finished runner up this time around with 21.2%.
The ‘Women’s Senior Player of the Year’, Lee Whitwell, gained 5,544 votes to win 43.8% of the vote as the number one female senior pickleball player capped off a fine year in style ahead of Angela Simon (18.9%).
Jack Munro (36.8%) beat Alix Truong (28.2%) to the ‘Rising Star – Next Gem’ award which highlights the American’s exciting potential and swift rise off the back of his APP NYC Open Victory with Mario Barrientos.
Bright and Andrei Daescu’s remarkable upset over top-seeded duo, Waters and Johns, in the 2024 Veolia Austin Open mixed doubles final that ended their year-long undefeated streak, won ‘Upset of the Year’ with 26.5% of the vote.
The full results are:
Go Next Level – Men’s Player of The Year (6,796 votes)
Winner: Ben Johns
Nominees and Vote Percentages:
Ben Johns: 34.3%
Federico Staksrud: 28.0%
Hayden Patriquin: 22.2%
JW Johnson: 10.4%
Christian Alshon: 5.0%
Go Next Level – Women’s Player of The Year (7,021 votes)
Winner: Anna Leigh Waters
Nominees and Vote Percentages:
Anna Leigh Waters: 55.9%
Anna Bright: 20.0%
Jorja Johnson: 10.5%
Rachel Rohrabacher: 7.1%
Catherine Parenteau: 6.4%
Men’s Senior Player of the Year (5,370 votes)
Winner: Steve Deakin
Nominees and Vote Percentages:
Steve Deakin: 26.5%
Atlaf Merchant: 21.2%
David Weinbach: 19.7%
Jaime Oncins: 19.6%
Scott Moore: 13.1%
Women’s Senior Player of the Year (5,544 votes)
Winner: Lee Whitwell
Nominees and Vote Percentages:
Lee Whitwell: 43.8%
Angela Simon: 18.9%
Beth Bellamy: 16.5%
Natalie Bagby: 10.8%
Sheri Courter: 10.0%
Men’s Most Improved Player (7,015 votes)
Winner: Gabe Tardio
Nominees and Vote Percentages:
Gabe Tardio: 33.2%
Quang Duong: 29.2%
CJ Klinger: 17.6%
Augie Ge: 12.2%
Will Howells: 7.8%
Women’s Most Improved Player (6,694 votes)
Winner: Hurricane Tyra Black
Nominees and Vote Percentages:
Hurricane Tyra Black: 31.9%
Kate Fahey: 31.7%
Mari Humberg: 15.2%
Tina Pisnik: 11.1%
Kaitlyn Christian: 10.1%
Rising Star – Next Gen
Winner: Jack Munro
Nominees and Vote Percentages:
Jack Munro: 36.3%
Alix Truong: 28.2%
Layne Sleeth: 12.3%
Eric Oncins: 12.1%
Noe Khlif: 11.0%
Upset of the Year (6,705 votes)
Winner: Daescu & Bright Upset Waters & Johns
Nominees and Vote Percentages:
Daescu & Bright Upset Waters & Johns: 26.5%
Johnson & Schneeman Upset Waters & Catherine Parenteau: 25.9%
Duong & Alshon Upset Johns & Johns: 23.6%
Michael Loyd Upset Over Ben Johns: 15.2%
Salome Devidze Upsets Anna Leigh Waters: 8.7%
The PKLBull Verdict
The 2024 Nike Dink Awards showcase the dominance by Waters and Johns that speaks for itself when you look back on the number of trophies and medals the duo has collected, something which you would be foolish to bet against continuing.
But Federico Staksrud, with his groundbreaking multi-year Adidas partnership, will be looking to consolidate himself as men’s world number one in what is shaping up to be a special 2025.
Anna Bright will also be chasing improvements and further gold medals as she builds on a very impressive 2024.
The future is also bright with Jack Munro and Alix Truong tipped to be breakout stars and certainly keep an eye on the progress of Hurricane Tyler Black and Gabe Tardio.
Pickleball is continuing to evolve with more fans, more quality and big brands taking notice and wanting to get involved, 2025 is poised to be the sport’s greatest to date.