Lil Wayne is taking his talents to the pickleball world, where the New Orleans rapper has joined the Texas Ranchers as an investor and strategic advisor.
The Ranchers, who were founded in 2021 by Bryan Sheffield and are one of the eight original Major League Pickleball, announced the news on Tuesday. According to the club, Wayne will "provide direction for the brand to help drive national and local fandom to the sport." Weezy will also be tasked with supporting "creative ideation," as well as developing future apparel collaborations.
“Pickleball is the moment,” the five-time Grammy-winner said in a statement. “I’ve enjoyed watching and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to join this team of owners.”
Lil Wayne joins an ownership group that includes big names such as golfer Scottie Scheffler, country singer Zach Bryan, Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, tennis star Taylor Fritz, and Raising Cane's founder Todd Graves, among others. The Kid Laroi is another newly announced member of the group.
Evan Floersch, founder and CEO of the Texas Ranchers, expressed his excitement for adding Weezy to a star-laden ownership group.
“From the get-go, we set out to build a team that, at its core, was centered in pop culture to support our mission to become one of the most recognized brands in American sports," Floersch said. "Having Wayne’s guidance, along with the rest of this incredible ownership group, emphasizes our stance on redefining sports ownership and being a positive force for good in our local pickleball community and beyond.”
