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00:00 The fastest growing sport in America is taking over the Dallas-Hawaii area this week.
00:05 They say everything's bigger in Texas, well that certainly rings true when it comes to
00:10 the largest pickleball tournament ever, the USA Pickleball National.
00:14 Now in the center of this spirited event is a celebrity showdown that features some of
00:19 the biggest sports celebrities in the Dallas area.
00:22 We talked to Dirk Nowitzki, who won't play this evening against Jason Kidd.
00:27 Apparently Jason didn't quite know what he was getting into, he's a little bit busy right
00:31 now coaching with Dallas Mavericks.
00:33 And when he found out that this game will be televised on ESPN, he almost pulled out.
00:38 We're not sure how good Jason Kidd is at pickleball, but we're going to find out.
00:43 Well you know I played in this event last year, so it's really about having some fun
00:47 and off-competing a little bit, but I think it's more about having fun and showing good
00:52 technique.
00:53 But for me the amazing thing is to see how far this has gotten.
00:57 I mean you can at least see last year in Frisco, there was a great turnout, but I mean this
01:01 is like rockstar level.
01:04 I'm super impressed with the setup, how many players they have, 53,000 players.
01:09 I mean this is insanity at another level.
01:12 So it's showing how big the sport has gotten just in this last year.
01:17 So I'm excited to be a small part of it, of these championships, and we'll see what happens.
01:23 How's the game, Dirk?
01:25 I mean it's alright, I play a few times a year, but I wouldn't say I'm a pro.
01:31 But you know, last year we played a little bit with the pros, and just to see it's a
01:35 different sport than what we try to do.
01:37 You know, the touch, the thinking with the net, the hand-eye coordination, the athleticism.
01:43 I mean there's some amazing players, amazing talent, but I'm not one of them.
01:48 Is this the height coming to play?
01:50 I'm sorry?
01:51 Is this the height coming to play, or is it a prediction?
01:54 Oh, with the music now, I couldn't understand.
01:57 How high is it being so tall and long?
02:00 Oh, so I heard we're playing twin towers, me and Isner.
02:04 So I think we're lacking a little bit of mobility, but we hopefully can cover the court with
02:11 our reach.
02:12 He obviously has a good rack of history, and hopefully we'll be able to survive.
02:19 I got a couple of questions.
02:21 You get to go against the kid, and then get to play with him.
02:24 What's he down here for on MNH?
02:26 So I heard he has no idea what he's doing.
02:29 I heard he didn't even know whether you signed up, but obviously he's busy right now with
02:33 a lot of other things.
02:35 So I think he didn't really know what he signed up for.
02:38 When he got here, he was like, "Oh my goodness."
02:40 And he found out today that this is actually on ESPN Live.
02:43 He almost pulled out.
02:45 So this will be interesting to see, but we'll have some fun.
02:49 You'll coach him up with your teammates, then?
02:51 I'll help him out wherever I can.
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