In a statement released on Instagram Saturday, the United Pickleball Association (UPA) announced the termination of Quang Duong’s professional pickleball contract, citing “multiple and repeated violations of the exclusivity terms of the agreement.”
The termination is effective immediately and pertains to Duong’s future participation in both PPA and MLP events.
The statement continued:
“Despite numerous attempts to work with Duong and his team – including conversations, warnings, and fines – there have been continued and consistent misrepresentations of facts and contract breaches”
Duong is currently in Vietnam while all 16 Major League Pickleball Premier teams, including his own, the LA Mad Drops, compete in the Mid-Season Tournament in Grand Rapids, MI.
He has yet to make a public statement regarding the termination.
How did we get here?
Over Memorial Day weekend, news spread that Duong had played in an unsanctioned tournament in Vietnam – a reported breach of the exclusivity terms of his contract with the UPA.
In response, the UPA came down hard, fining him $50,000 and suspending him from two upcoming events.
Quang Duong Suspended, Fined $50k by UPA for Breach of Contract
Quang Duong was suspended by the UPA for one PPA event and one MLP event. He was also fined $50,000 for a breach of contract when he recently played overseas in a non-sanctioned event.
“MLP and PPA have invested very significantly in our player contracts, and they are written to ensure event exclusivity,” a league source told us at the time, going on:
When contract terms are violated, there have to be consequences. We look forward to having Quang participate in MLP and PPA events following this brief suspension, and trust this issue will quickly be put behind all of us.” – UPA sources
It was made clear to us at the time that future breaches of contract would result in further fines or more aggressive action on the part of the UPA.
We have confirmed with a UPA source that Duong’s absence from the MLP Mid-Season Tournament was not pre-approved by the league, and thus represented a breach of his existing UPA contract.
Who wins, who loses?
It’s no secret that Duong – led by his father, Duc – has been investing heavily into their brand in Vietnam.
Duong recently signed significant paddle and clothing deals from Vietnam-based companies, and continues to make trips there with his family for events, clinics, facility openings, and more.
A quick look at Duong’s Instagram feed shows he’s been doing just that for the last several days, all while the rest of Major League Pickleball is in Grand Rapids for the Mid-Season Tournament – an event with prize money and points on the line.
We won’t speculate just yet about Duong’s long-term vision or whether leaving the UPA has always been part of the plan.
What we will say is, in the short term, this puts his MLP team, the LA Mad Drops, in a tough spot.
The Mad Drops were upset Thursday by the Miami Pickleball Club – a match that could have gone in their favor had Duong been on the roster.
And they’ve been surging toward a strong playoff run. Now, they’ll need to fill Duong’s spot and try to regroup.
Zane Navratil weighs in
“If there’s one thing I know about UPA, it’s that they don’t eff around with their exclusivity clauses,” pro Zane Navratil said in an Instagram post addressing the termination.
“I think it’s smart. I don’t think the UPA can have their athletes running roughshod over the league,” he continued. “In fact, I think there needs to be serious, serious ramifications for players who simply just skip events.”
Read the full UPA statement:
Feature image via Instagram