Ben Johns and Tyson McGuffin 'Were Like Justin Bieber' Walking Around Malaysia
Here's something American pickleball fans might not fully grasp: In Southeast Asia, some of the household names from the PPA Tour aren't just seen as professional pickleball players. They're legitimate celebrities.
"It's literally like Ben and Tyson, they were like Justin Bieber walking around the U.S.," Eric Oncins told host Zane Navratil on this week's PicklePod.
"We'd go to the mall heading to dinner and fans are just stopping Ben every second. It was crazy. He's a huge celebrity there. Pickleball is so big there."
Oncins played both PPA Malaysia and PPA Vietnam, held less than a week apart, with Tyson McGuffin. The pair won men's doubles gold in both events.
Incredibly, Oncins was scheduled to play in either PPA Asia event until just a few days before PPA Malaysia was scheduled to kick off.
Zane was at both events, and had a similar experience. And both guys were surprised – and ultimately grateful for – the amount of security they were provided to help them navigate around.
The security detail wasn't overkill; it was necessary. Oncins described being whisked through airports past hundreds of people in immigration lines, having every detail handled by staff, and needing experienced guards just to navigate through crowds at the mall.
Thomas Shields
"At first I thought the security, especially in Malaysia, was going to be overkill," said Zane.
"And it was. At no point did I ever feel unsafe. But there were so many people. You would never be able to get out of there,"
Ben and Tyson were the main draw, eliciting picture and autograph requests everywhere they went.
But American pickleball players are a big deal over there. Even Zane's wife Jenny, who is not a professional pickleball player in any capacity, signed her share of autographs.
Feature image via Ben Johns, Instagram
