Purple Jesus Manthou

Max "Purple Jesus" Manthou is not your average pro pickleball player. A former University of Washington tennis standout who once ranked in the top 1,000 worldwide, Manthou found pickleball after a stint in the Peace Corps in Indonesia and promptly lost every single game on his first day. That humbling experience only made him more obsessed. Partnered with Erik Lange, he earned a bronze medal at the 2024 APP Miami Open by upsetting a top-seeded team, which catapulted him into Major League Pickleball. He racked up seven APP Tour medals in 2024 (four gold, three bronze) and added a silver in men's pro doubles at the 2024 USA Pickleball National Championships.

But what really sets Purple Jesus apart is what happens off the court. He earned his master's in anthropology from Illinois State University, where his thesis focused on pickleball's unique blend of competition and cooperation. He turned that research into a book called A Pickleball Gospel: The Harmony of Competition and Cooperation in Sport, published in October 2024. With his signature long brown hair, head-to-toe purple gear, and a Speedup Pickleball sponsorship, Manthou brings an energy to pro pickleball that's equal parts scholar, athlete, and showman.