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| Jorja Johnson |
Full Name: Jorja Johnson | Current Status: Active — 2026 Major League Pickleball Champion with the New Jersey 5s; competing on the PPA Tour
At 17, Jorja Johnson became the youngest woman in APP Tour history to win a Triple Crown. Two and a half years later, after being dropped by one MLP franchise and paid $800,000 to join another, she closed out the 2026 season as a champion.
Biography Summary
Jorja Johnson's pickleball career started as a footnote to someone else's plan. Her family moved from Kansas to Florida so her older brother, JW, could chase a tennis career — pickleball was just something to fill the gaps while they settled in.
It didn't stay a footnote for long. She turned professional at 14, and by 17 she'd done something no woman her age had ever done on the APP Tour. Her path since then has run through a hometown family sweep, a viral MLP nickname, a brutal front-office decision that cut her loose, and finally a $800,000 landing spot that ended in a championship.
She now plays regularly alongside Anna Leigh Waters, widely considered the most dominant player in the sport's history, and against her own brother's teams in mixed doubles.
Early Life
Johnson was born October 10, 2006, in Pittsburg, Kansas. The family's move to Florida wasn't about pickleball at all — it was meant to put JW closer to top-level tennis coaching and courts, with Jorja along for the ride.
Pickleball entered the household almost by accident, the way it does for a lot of families: as a way to meet neighbors in a new city. She didn't have JW's tennis background to lean on, but she adapted fast, developing a physical, aggressive game that stood out even in youth play.
By 2020, at just 14 years old, she'd turned professional — one of the youngest players to enter the pro ranks at the time.
Professional Career
Johnson's story runs on two tracks at once: a family narrative that's followed her since her first pro medals, and an individual rise that's made her one of the sport's most in-demand doubles partners.
A Family Sweep in Delray Beach
Some of her earliest headlines came close to home. At the 2022 World Pickleball Open near Delray Beach, Florida, the Johnsons turned in a clean sweep: her mother, Julie, won the Pro Senior Mixed Doubles title; JW took Pro Men's Doubles; and Jorja collected gold in both Pro Women's Doubles and Pro Mixed Doubles. It was a small local event by tour standards, but it set the tone for a family that would keep showing up together on podiums for years.
The Youngest Triple Crown
March 2024 is where Johnson's name started traveling outside pickleball circles. At the APP Sacramento Open, at just 17, she won gold in women's singles, women's doubles (with Lea Jansen), and mixed doubles (with JW) — a Triple Crown, and only the third one ever recorded by a woman on the APP Tour. Simone Jardim and Parris Todd had done it before her; nobody had done it younger.
"It's been one of my goals for a long time," she told The Kitchen afterward, "and to be able to do it while I'm still a teenager makes it even more special."
The Dallas Drop and the New Jersey Payoff
By 2025, Johnson had become a fixture for the Dallas Flash in Major League Pickleball, earning the franchise's fan-voted Premier Level MVP award — a reputation built partly on a habit of closing out Dreambreaker games in walk-off fashion. Then, heading into 2026, Dallas made a decision several MLP analysts called a mistake: they dropped her at the keeper deadline, betting they could re-sign her cheaply in the auction draft.
They lost that bet. The New Jersey 5s selected her with the No. 2 overall pick for $800,000, slotting her in as the primary women's doubles partner for Anna Leigh Waters. The pairing went 33-1 across the regular MLP season, and on August 31, 2026, New Jersey closed out a 2-0 sweep of the St. Louis Shock to win the 2026 MLP Championship — Johnson's first league title, and the first for Waters as well.
Career Timeline
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2006 | Born October 10 in Pittsburg, Kansas |
| 2018–2019 | Family relocates to Florida; discovers pickleball recreationally |
| 2020 | Turns professional at age 14 |
| 2022 | Gold in Pro Women's Doubles and Pro Mixed Doubles at the World Pickleball Open, part of a full family sweep |
| 2024 (March) | Youngest woman in APP Tour history to win a Triple Crown, at the Sacramento Open |
| 2024 | Gold in mixed doubles with Hayden Patriquin at the PPA Daytona Beach Open |
| 2025 | Plays for the Dallas Flash in MLP; wins fan-voted Premier Level MVP award |
| 2026 (Feb) | Dropped by Dallas Flash at the keeper deadline; drafted No. 2 overall by the New Jersey 5s for $800,000 |
| 2026 (Aug) | Wins the 2026 MLP Championship with New Jersey 5s, partnered with Anna Leigh Waters |
Major Achievements
- Youngest woman in APP Tour history to win a Triple Crown (age 17, 2024)
- Full-family gold sweep at the 2022 World Pickleball Open with mother Julie and brother JW
- Gold, PPA Daytona Beach Open mixed doubles (2024, with Hayden Patriquin)
- 2025 MLP Premier Level fan-voted MVP (Dallas Flash)
- 2026 Major League Pickleball Champion (New Jersey 5s, women's doubles with Anna Leigh Waters)
Highlights & Video
Awards & Honors
- Youngest APP Tour Triple Crown winner (2024)
- 2025 MLP Premier Level MVP (fan-voted)
- 2026 Major League Pickleball Champion
Career Statistics
| Division | PPA World Rank (2026) |
|---|---|
| Women's Singles | #18 |
| Women's Doubles | #4 |
| Mixed Doubles | #3 |
In MLP play during the 2026 season, her women's doubles pairing with Anna Leigh Waters carried a 33-1 record heading into the championship series, before closing the season as champions.
Records
- Youngest woman ever to win an APP Tour Triple Crown, and only the third woman to do it at all
- Part of a 33-1 MLP women's doubles pairing (with Anna Leigh Waters) during the 2026 season
Net Worth
No verified net worth figure exists for Jorja Johnson. Online estimates range from roughly $500,000 to $1.4 million, but these come from unsourced fan and aggregator sites and should not be treated as confirmed. What is documented: New Jersey paid $800,000 to draft her for the 2026 MLP season alone.
Gear & Equipment
Johnson has played the Franklin C45 Raw Carbon paddle as part of a longtime partnership with Franklin Pickleball.
Playing Style
Johnson plays a physical, aggressive right-side game — fast hands at the net, backhand attacks, and a willingness to battle at the kitchen line regardless of who's on the other side. Scouts and analysts frequently point to her as one of the best facilitators in the sport for a power-first partner, which is a large part of why she's clicked so quickly alongside Anna Leigh Waters.
Personal Life
Pickleball is a family business for the Johnsons. Mother Julie Johnson built her own career as a senior pro, father Jack Johnson coaches, and brother JW Johnson is a top-ranked men's doubles player in his own right. Jorja and JW have partnered together in mixed doubles for years, even after the 2026 MLP season split them onto separate franchises — she with New Jersey, he with Dallas.
She resides in the Boynton Beach, Florida area.
Official Social Media Profiles
- Instagram: @jorjajohnson_pb
Legacy
Johnson's career so far tells a specific kind of story: a player whose biggest headlines have come from doing something first — youngest at a Triple Crown, a franchise-altering front-office decision built around whether to keep her — rather than simply piling up medals in a crowded field.
Pairing her with Anna Leigh Waters gave New Jersey the two right pieces at once, and the 2026 championship suggests the partnership has real staying power, not just a good opening season.
Interesting Facts
- Her family moved to Florida for her brother's tennis career, not for pickleball.
- She turned professional at just 14 years old.
- She's the youngest woman in APP Tour history to win a Triple Crown.
- She won gold at the same tournament as her mother and brother in 2022, near their home in Delray Beach.
- In MLP, she built a reputation for hitting walk-off Dreambreaker winners.
- She won a fan-voted MLP MVP award in 2025 — then was dropped by that same franchise months later.
- New Jersey paid $800,000 to draft her as the No. 2 overall pick in 2026.
- Her primary doubles partner, Anna Leigh Waters, is widely regarded as the most dominant player in pickleball history.
- She still partners with her brother JW in mixed doubles on the PPA Tour, despite playing for rival MLP teams.
- She won her first MLP championship in 2026, in just her second season with a new franchise.
- She plays right-handed with a notably physical, net-forward style.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Jorja Johnson?
Johnson was born October 10, 2006, making her 19 years old as of September 2026.
Is Jorja Johnson related to JW Johnson?
Yes — JW Johnson is her older brother, and the two have partnered together in mixed doubles for years.
What team does Jorja Johnson play for in MLP?
She plays for the New Jersey 5s, who drafted her as the No. 2 overall pick for $800,000 in 2026 after the Dallas Flash dropped her.
Who is Jorja Johnson's doubles partner?
Anna Leigh Waters is her primary women's doubles partner with the New Jersey 5s in MLP; she also partners with brother JW in mixed doubles on the PPA Tour.
What was Jorja Johnson's Triple Crown achievement?
At the 2024 APP Sacramento Open, at age 17, she won gold in women's singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles in the same event — becoming the youngest woman ever to win a Triple Crown on the APP Tour.
What paddle does Jorja Johnson use?
She plays the Franklin C45 Raw Carbon paddle as part of her sponsorship with Franklin Pickleball.
What is Jorja Johnson's net worth?
No verified figure exists publicly. Online estimates vary widely and should be treated as unconfirmed.
The Final Verdict
Jorja Johnson's career keeps circling back to the same theme: being underestimated right before she isn't. A tennis family that treated pickleball as an afterthought. A franchise that bet it could win a numbers game against her. Both times, she made the other side look wrong.
With a 2026 MLP title now on the résumé and a partnership with the sport's most dominant player still building, it's fair to say the "youngest ever" headlines from 2024 were the start of something, not the peak of it.
Did you catch Jorja and Anna Leigh Waters' run to the 2026 MLP title, or remember her Triple Crown run back in 2024? Share your memories or corrections in the comments below.