Fresh off a $100 million raise, Paul Rabil takes pro lacrosse to the basketball courts of Venice Beach

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The PLL co-founder on street lacrosse, a $100 million Series E, and why LA28 could be the moment to sell teams to individual owners.

The Premier Lacrosse League is taking a stripped-down, pick-up version of the sport to the streets of Los Angeles. On Saturday, Nov. 14, the league’s Street Lacrosse Pro Tour makes its first L.A. stop, on the basketball courts at Venice Beach, with a festival vibe and a 5-on-5 format that looks more like street basketball or hockey than the field game.

The goal is to keep growing the sport and build buzz before its long-awaited return at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, about 600 days away. Lacrosse last appeared as a medal sport in 1908. It has appeared since only as a demonstration sport, including at the 1932 L.A. Games and, most recently, in London in 1948.

Men’s and women’s pros will share the court with special guests, including streetball star The Professor and influencer Cameron Elliott Schmidt.

Paul Rabil, widely regarded as one of the best players in the sport’s history, co-founded the PLL and its sister circuit, the Women’s Lacrosse League (WLL). He is president of the parent company; his brother, Mike, is CEO. In June, the league closed a $100 million Series E led by Ares and Joe Tsai, with ESPN taking a minority equity stake.

Rabil, who has previously shared his leadership playbook with Fortune, sat down with us to discuss the Street Lacrosse Pro Tour and the sport’s state in the run-up to the Olympics.

Fortune: Lacrosse has grown quickly this century, well beyond its traditional hotbeds in New England and along the East Coast. Since 2000, the number of NCAA lacrosse programs has more than doubled to 917, while high school participation has increased by more than 353%. In 2024-25, 212,988 high schoolers played on 6,670 boys’ and girls’ teams nationwide.

Team lacrosse has surged. So how does the Street Lacrosse Pro Tour fit into the PLL portfolio?

Rabil: We’ve done a lot with our Assists program, our 501(c)(3). We donate equipment, provide coaching opportunities, and playing opportunities for kids who otherwise don’t have access.

Street Lacrosse came [in 2023]…

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