Pickleball originated in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington. It was invented by three fathers—Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum—who created the game to entertain their bored children during the summer. They improvised with a lowered badminton net, ping pong paddles, and a perforated plastic ball on an old badminton court. This casual invention quickly evolved into the sport known today as pickleball.