Grandmother plays pickup pickleball game with strangers who turn out to be T.J. Watt and Steelers teammates

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette posted a fun story about Pittsburgh's Meg Burkardt, an avid pickleball player who jumped in to compete with three strangers who turned out to be members of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Among them was T.J. Watt, who just earned the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award. Burkardt saw two of the players playing one-on-one and jumped on the court for doubles.

"I could tell they were beginners. Don’t tell them I said that," Burkardt told the Post-Gazette on Monday. "But I thought, 'Oh, this is great. Probably the guy on the bench doesn't have a paddle, that’s why he’s not playing.' So I grabbed my extra paddle, rolled on up and plopped down next to him. ‘Hey, do you want to take these guys on?' "

Burkardt and all-pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick defeated Watt and starting linebacker Alex Highsmith.

"She taught us some lessons," Watt said. "She had a wicked serve with a lot of spin on it, so it made for a fun afternoon"

Burkardt, who admitted she wasn't a diehard Steelers fan, didn't realize the company she was keeping until onlookers began accumulating. She figured they might be Marines.

Watt's famous older brother, J.J., tweeted his faux disgust with T.J.'s loss after a text Burkardt sent to a family member with a picture of her new friends went viral.

Pickleball's increased popularity has hit athletes in other sports as well.

On Monday, the Milwaukee Bucks tweeted video of Khris Middleton and teammates Luca Vildoza, Jordan Nwora, Lindell Wigginton and Sandro Mamukelashvili competing on the courts.

Follow JR Radcliffe on Twitter at @JRRadcliffe.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: T.J. Watt, Steelers teammates play pickleball with unaware grandmother