
Shimabukuro, Wang headline inaugural MLP Asia draft class
With the inaugural MLP Asia season just two months away, the league held its International Draft over the weekend where all six teams could fill out their rosters.
Each team entered the International Draft with three players already selected from the Domestic Draft, where teams had to select players local to the countries that the teams represent.
Here are the six teams:
- Dragon Warriors—China
- Hong Kong Cannons—Hong Kong
- Malayan Stripes—Malaysia
- Manila Helios—Philippines
- Team Tokyo—Japan
- Viet Panthers—Vietnam
In Sunday’s International Draft, teams submitted monetary bids for picks before each of the three rounds; teams picked in order of who submitted the highest bid.
Several US-based pros were taken with high picks, as 15-year-old Tama Shimabukuro went first overall, Armaan Bhatia went third, Grayson Goldin went sixth, Chao Yi Wang went seventh, and Kaitlyn Christian went eighth overall.
Connor Garnett and Riley Newman were some of the notable US-based players who went undrafted.
Here is the order of pick by round, with team rosters laid out below:
Round One
- 1. Tama Shimabukuro (Viet Panthers)
- 2. Eunggwon Kim (Malayan Stripes)
- 3. Armaan Bhatia (Hong Kong Cannons)
- 4. Seina Shima (Manila Helios)
- 5. Nasa Hatakeyama (Team Tokyo)
- 6. Grayson Goldin (Dragon Warriors)
Round Two
- 7. Chao Yi Wang (Hong Kong Cannons)
- 8. Kaitlyn Christian (Viet Panthers)
- 9. Xiao Yi Wang-Beckvall (Malayan Stripes)
- 10. Jamie Wei (Dragon Warriors)
- 11. Mihae Kwon (Team Tokyo)
- 12. Muhammad Aiman (Manila Helios)
Round Three
- 13. Daniel Moore (Team Tokyo)
- 14. Luc Pham (Dragon Warriors)
- 15. Mayu Ito (Manila Helios)
- 16. Ho Tam (Viet Panthers)
- 17. Kei Sawaki (Hong Kong Cannons)
- 18. Lacy Schneeman (Malayan Stripes)
Here are the full rosters by team:
Dragon Warriors: Lingwei Kong (c), Anni Xie, Longsheng Liu, Grayson Goldin, Jamie Wei, Luc Pham
Hong Kong Cannons: Hong Kit Wong (c), Nok Yiu Tang, Marco Leung, Armaan Bhatia, Chao Yi Wang, Kei Sawaki
Malayan Stripes: Jimmy Liong (c), Syed Uzair, Athilla Miasara, Eunggwon Kim, Xiao Yi Wang-Beckvall, Lacy Schneemann
Manila Helios: Kim Saraza (c), Jacob Diago, Macy Ybanez, Seina Shima, Muhammad Aiman, Mayu Ito
Team Tokyo: Yuta Funemizu (c), Aiko Yoshitomi, Rika Fujiwara, Nasa Hatakeyama, Mihae Kwon, Daniel Moore
Viet Panthers: Quan Do (c), Hien Truong, Sophia Nhi Huynh, Tama Shimabukuro, Kaitlyn Christian, Ho Tam
The inaugural season will run across five weeks in November and December, with the first event scheduled for Nov. 13 in Japan.
Click here to learn more about MLP Asia.
Related articles

Order of play for Championship Sunday at PPA Worlds
Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright will set a PPA Tour record on Sunday if they win their 18th consecutive women's doubles title together.
11 hours ago
-Pickleball.com Staff

Alshon, Daescu power past Johns, Tardio to make men’s doubles final
Since reuniting ahead of the 2026-2027 PPA Tour season in August, Alshon and Daescu have now made the finals in all four tournaments they have played together.
23 hours ago
-Pickleball.com Staff

Sock, Goins to clash for men’s singles title
Jack Sock and John Lucian Goins haven't played each other in singles since 2025. Their next meeting will come with the sport's biggest title on the line.
1 day ago
-Pickleball.com Staff

Pros reflect on pickleball’s growth at Celebrity Showdown
Whether in terms of amateur participation, viewership numbers, or attendance statistics, the story of pickleball’s growth continues to be written.
1 day ago
-Pickleball.com Staff