Tama Shimabukuro

Tama Shimabukuro is a 15-year-old from Honolulu who reached the men's singles final at the 2026 Veolia Atlanta Pickleball Championships as the No. 22 seed — beating the No. 2, 3, and 11 seeds along the way before losing the gold medal match to Chris Haworth. He picked up a pickleball paddle for the first time in summer 2023.

Career

Before pickleball, Tama was a serious skateboarder — sponsored by Nike, RVCA, ROKA, and Zero Skateboards from a young age in Hawaii. His family discovered pickleball on a 2023 California trip; they set up a cheap Target net in their Honolulu driveway and the whole family started playing. He won his first local tournament a few months later with no formal coaching.

Within two years he'd signed a three-year PPA Tour contract — earned a year ahead of his own goal after a strong showing at the PPA Asia Fukuoka event at age 14.

The Atlanta run (April 28–May 4, 2026)

Atlanta was the breakout. As the No. 22 seed in men's singles, Tama beat:

• World #2 Federico Staksrud
• World #11 Noe Khlif
• World #3 Hunter Johnson

…before losing to World #1 Chris Haworth in the final. He also reached the men's doubles semifinals the same week. The Atlanta crowd took to calling the section behind the court "Tama Town."

Playing style

The skateboarding-to-pickleball transition shows in his body control — exceptional balance, low center of gravity, fearless changes of direction. Plays close to the kitchen and treats every speed-up as an opportunity. The veterans on tour are still working out how to slow him down.

Off-court

Lives in Honolulu. Anchored the MLP Junior All-Star team at the 2025 MLP Cup alongside Cam Chaffin, Ella Yeh, and Elsie Hendershot.