Washington served up a new license plate Wednesday, honoring the state sport of pickleball.

In the works for three years, it is the second of seven specialty plates to hit the streets since getting approved by lawmakers earlier this year.

“We’re thrilled to see our efforts become reality,” said Kate Van Gent, vice president of the nonprofit Seattle Metro Pickleball Association, the force behind the plate. “The goal has always been to celebrate the sport created here in Washington and enjoyed across the state.”

Pickleball is a tennis-like sport played with wooden paddles and a plastic ball. It was named the state sport under a 2022 law signed by then-Gov. Jay Inslee, in a ceremony at the Bainbridge Island home where the sport was invented in the 1960s. Today, it is one of the fastest-gro

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