Columbus, Ohio - As Major League Pickleball (MLP) has been racking up star team owners from the sports world, the latest to join in the fun is none other than four-time NBA champion Kevin Durant.

MLP announced on Thursday that Durant and his business partner Rich Kleiman are buying their own professional pickleball team through their joint company, Thirty Five Venture (35v).

In an Instagram video posted on Boardroom, a media company which 35v owns, Durant admitted that he "never thought" he would be interested in pickleball.

The Brooklyn Nets' star revealed the sport became a "small passion" after Kleiman got him onto a court to play himself.

"It's fun to be a part of," Durant said.

35v will manage all aspects of the expansion team, including marketing and player relations. Their team is set to begin competing in 2023.

"It's not just a fun project," Durant added. "We're really actually trying to win."

MLP CEO and founder Steve Kuhn said "Kevin Durant, Rich Kleiman, and 35V are going to be game-changing partners for Major League Pickleball."

"They not only bring passion for the game, but also unrivaled expertise to help us to continue to grow. We're especially excited about their plans to bring pickleball to underserved communities - something they have done with basketball for years," he added.

Durant joins a number of other notable athletes who have recently gotten into professional pickleball. Last week, NFL icon Tom Brady and tennis great Kim Clijsters announced their joint partnership to dive into MLP ownership. And last month, NBA legend LeBron James became the first basketball star to announce ownership in the professional league.

We could be seeing star-studded pickleball courtsides very soon.