JOOLA and World No. 1 Ben Johns Design the R4LLy To Be the First True Pickleball Shoe

JOOLA has launched the R4LLy, a pickleball shoe that the brand positions as the sport’s first purpose built performance footwear, developed by a team with experience at Nike, Reebok, and Adidas. The debut marks JOOLA’s formal entry into footwear, backed by a 12 month development process involving pro athletes and multi level wear testers, rolling out across three drops starting March 27.

The Case against Borrowed Footwear

Pickleball players have long competed in shoes adapted from tennis, running, and cross training categories, not designed for the sport’s specific lateral and explosive demands. JOOLA CEO Richard Lee said, “Most ‘pickleball shoes’ on the market aren’t truly built for the sport, no matter how they’re labeled. An experienced footwear designer will tell you they’re adapted from existing models, not engineered top down for the way pickleball is played.”

The footwear design team includes Gjermund Haugbro as Senior Director of Engineering, Eric Lonsway as head of footwear product creation, and Scott Portzline as footwear designer,  collectively spanning work at Nike, Reebok, Adidas, Columbia, Merrell, and SOREL.

Ben Johns is in the Design Room

World No. 1 Ben Johns was central to shaping R4LLy’s performance priorities. Johns said, “What JOOLA and I worked together on was putting more focus on lateral movement. Prioritize lightness, and then outside of that, we really wanted to prioritize the low profile.” The team ran 10–15 prototype rounds over 12 months, with JOOLA’s pro roster wearing each iteration and returning feedback before the next version was built.

Testing extended beyond the pros to recreational players and tournament competitors with official DUPR ratings, ensuring the shoe performed across all court levels and skill tiers.

What’s inside the R4LLy

The shoe is built around a set of technologies developed specifically for pickleball movement patterns:

• Cordura® Advanced Fabric upper,  abrasion resistant and breathable, designed for kitchen line foot drag
• Dynamic Fit Sleeve creates a customizable, locked in midfoot feel
• Qubit Foam Midsole,  supercritical foam reformulated from running shoe applications to reduce leg fatigue
• Carbon Fiber Shank reinforces the midfoot for stable, twist free lateral cuts and pivots
• CPU2K Protective Toe Cap guards against toe drag on abrasive court surfaces
• Wider forefoot allows natural toe splay for balance and kitchen resets
• Durable rubber outsole,  built for reliable traction on hard courts

Release dates, price, and access

The R4LLy retails at $180 USD and rolls out in three stages. Drop 1 launched March 27 in a red, white, and black colorway, limited to 1,500 pairs globally across 25+ retail locations, with 18 pairs per store. Drop 2 follows April 17 with both men’s and women’s colorways, again limited to 18 men’s and 15 women’s pairs per location. The full core R4LLy collection goes live May 8 in stores and online at JOOLA.com for the first time.

The staged rollout follows a model common in sneaker culture: scarcity first to build credibility, then broader access, applied here to a sport still defining its relationship with premium performance product.

What does this Signal Mean for Pickleball Gear

JOOLA’s move into footwear is a meaningful category bet. As pickleball continues to scale in participation and prize money, brands that can credibly claim purpose built performance,  not repurposed tennis or court shoes,  stand to own a growing segment. For players at every level, the R4LLy is the clearest signal yet that dedicated pickleball footwear is becoming a real product category, not just a label swap.