Pitchford chosen No. 1 overall in 2024 MLTT Draft

PRINCETON, NJ — England’s Liam Pitchford was selected as the No. 1 overall pick by the Florida Crocs in the 2024 Major League Table Tennis Draft, marking a significant milestone as the league prepares for its second season. He follows France’s Enzo Angles, who was the No. 1 overall pick by the Carolina Gold Rush in the league’s inaugural draft in 2023, and who subsequently went on to be named the league’s Men’s MVP for the 2023-24 season. 

Pitchford’s pedigree is impressive, and it had to be considering the draft field he was up against. Over 300 players from 53 countries registered for the second draft in MLTT history, showcasing the league’s rapid growth and awareness on the international stage.

Pitchford brings a wealth of international experience to the Crocs, promising to elevate the team’s performance and profile after a first season that saw Frank Arias’ squad start hot before fading down the stretch and missing the playoffs. The selection of Pitchford highlights the league’s commitment to attracting world class talent and enhancing the sport’s popularity in the United States. And he wasn’t alone, he was followed in the first round of the draft by France’s Emmanuel Lebesson (Chicago Wind), Slovakia’s Ľubomír Pištej (Seattle Spinners), Sweden’s Hampus Nordberg (Portland Paddlers), Japan’s Satoshi Aida (Carolina Gold Rush), South Korea’s Taehyun Kim (Bay Area Blasters), China’s Wensheng Wei (Princeton Revolution), and Iran’s Amir Hodaei (Texas Smash). 

The league’s eight teams were allowed to retain as many players as they wanted from their eight-person roster for MLTT’s first season, which concluded on April 28 when Texas defeated Princeton in the first-ever championship game. Chicago and Portland retained the fewest with three apiece, while Princeton retained the most with 6. The result was 31 openings across the league for a draft field 10 times as big.

Here are the full results of the draft:

Next up for MLTT is the league’s appearance at ESPN’s Ocho Day on Aug. 2, before starting season two play in September. Expect the 2024-25 season schedule release over the summer, as well.

For more information about Major League Table Tennis and the upcoming season, visit www.mltt.com. 

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