Brooke Buckner and John Lucian Goins (JLG) join King of the Court LIVE from Cary, North Carolina!
Brooke breaks down the roller coaster MLP season, going from one of the lowest moments of her career in Austin to an incredible turnaround in New York. She also talks singles, the new pickleball ranking system, playing in North Carolina, and the brutal MLP-to-PPA schedule.
Then JLG joins the show fresh off another MASSIVE win over Ben Johns. We get into exactly why his game matches up so well against Ben, the evolution of pro pickleball singles, his goals for the rest of 2026, the new world ranking system, and what he's expecting from the Slice next season.
Plus, we learn about JLG's other obsession: chess. Is losing a chess match actually worse than losing in pickleball?
Subscribe to King of the Court for more pro pickleball news, interviews, analysis, and behind-the-scenes conversations from the PPA Tour and MLP.
00:00 – Brooke Buckner joins KOTC
00:56 – The Dallas Flash's brutal Austin event
01:51 – How the team turned its season around
02:43 – Brooke's experience at MLP New York
04:05 – Getting traded and breaking out in MLP
05:26 – PPA Cary & singles
06:45 – Playing a hometown tournament
07:30 – Brooke's love-hate relationship with singles
07:45 – Thoughts on the new ranking system
08:19 – Should there be a week off between MLP & PPA?
08:56 – JLG joins the show
09:38 – JLG's upcoming doubles matchup
10:17 – BEATING Ben Johns
10:56 – Why JLG matches up well against Ben
11:38 – How pro singles strategy is changing
12:15 – The importance of getting to the net
13:01 – How to actually pronounce JLG's name
13:53 – JLG reveals the weakest part of his game
14:43 – Goals for the rest of 2026
16:07 – JLG reacts to the new ranking system
17:37 – Pickleball rankings, seeding & qualifiers
18:26 – JLG's next singles matchup
19:18 – The mixed doubles partner drama
21:01 – JLG's rise at only 18 years old
21:47 – The story behind JLG's famous sweatbands
23:55 – Does JLG trash talk?
24:54 – The future of the Slice
26:18 – Is JLG single?!
26:56 – How good is JLG at chess?
28:23 – Pickleball drama & social media
29:52 – The biggest beef in pickleball
30:43 – JLG's mom joins the conversation
32:05 – How JLG would beat Chris Haworth
33:22 – What makes Chris Haworth so difficult
34:49 – Traveling the PPA Tour with his mom
37:02 – Chess loss vs. pickleball loss
37:42 – JLG's tennis background
38:22 – Final thoughts & outro
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