Hailing from Hilo, Hawaiʻi, Kiora Kunimoto is a rising star in pickleball. Kunimoto began playing pickleball in January 2025 after being introduced to the sport by her dad, who coaches the game. She continued focusing on tennis through May 2025, when she earned the Hawaiʻi State High School Girls’ Singles title — a feat accomplished by only two other girls from the Big Island of Hawaiʻi before her.
Kunimoto decided to pursue pickleball full-time soon after her tennis season ended and entered her first professional pickleball event in June 2025. Since then, she has been on the rise, quickly climbing the ranks and earning multiple medals on the PPA Challenger circuit. Kunimoto has earned numerous top-10 wins over Jorja Johnson, Brooke Buckner, and Catherine Parenteau, and earned her first singles gold medal at the 2026 PPA Finals 500 in San Clemente, CA.
When she’s not on the pickleball court, Kunimoto enjoys being at home, playing tennis, and going to the beach.
