Jeanette Lee (born Lee Jin-Hee,

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The l ...

: 이진희, July 9, 1971, in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

) is a Korean-American professional

pool Pool may refer to: Water pool * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a rocky po ...

player. She was

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

d the Black Widow by her friends because, in spite of her sweet demeanor, she would "eat people alive" when she got to a pool table and always wear black when playing pool.

Career

Lee started playing pool in 1989. She went on to rank as the No. 1 female pool player in the world during the 1990s, and received the

Women's Professional Billiard Association The Women's Professional Billiard Association (WPBA) is a professional women's pool tour based in the United States. It was founded in 1976 as the Women's Professional Billiard Alliance by players Madelyn Whitlow and Palmer Byrd, and by Larry Mil ...

(WPBA) Sportsperson of the Year Award in 1998. She was three times runner-up at the World Nine-ball Championships (

women's A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardle ...

), from 1993–96. In addition to many top finishes on the

WPBA Tour The Women's Professional Billiard Association Tour (known as the WPBA Tour) is a series of professional women's pool tournaments first held in 1992. Events on the tour are operated by the Women's Professional Billiard Association The Women's Pro ...

, she won the

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have be ...

for the United States at the

2001 World Games The 2001 World Games ( ja, 2001年ワールドゲームズ, 2001-Nen wārudogēmuzu), the sixth World Games, were an international multi-sport event held in Akita, Japan. Titles 140 titles (invitational sports not included) were awarded in th ...

Akita, Japan is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Provinces and prefectures" in ; "Tōhoku" in . Its population is approximately 966,000 (as of 1 October 2019) and its geographic area is 11,6 ...

, and won the ladies' 25,000 winner-take-all Tournament of Champions twice, in 1999 and 2003. Lee also wrote ''The Black Widow's Guide to Killer Pool''. In 2001, Lee challenged Efren Reyes to a -to-13

exhibition match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...

nine-ball Nine-ball (sometimes written 9-ball) is a discipline of the cue sport pool. The game's origins are traceable to the 1920s in the United States. It is played on a rectangular billiard table with at each of the four corners and in the middle o ...

, in

Manila, Philippines Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

, but lost 4-13. For 2007, she was ranked #4 in ''Pool & Billiard Magazine'''s "Fans' Top 20 Favorite Players" poll. In 2013, Lee was inducted into the

Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame This is the list of people inducted into the Billiard Congress of America's hall of fame to honour outstanding people who, through their competitive skills and dedication, have enriched the sport and industry. Two categories have been established in ...

Titles and achievements

* 2013 Four Bears Classic 8-Ball * 2007

Skins Billiards Championship The Skins Billiards Championship was an annual nine-ball tournament held in the United States from 2005 through 2007. It was promoted by Allen Hopkins Productions and Billiards International, and was broadcast on ESPN. While most pool tournamen ...

* 2007 World Team Cup Championship * 2007 Empress Cup Championship * 2005 China Invitational Championship * 2004 Atlanta Women's Open * 2004 ESPN Ultimate Challenge * 2004 Ladies Trick Shot Challenge * 2004 WPBA Florida Classic Hard Rock Casino * 2003 Tournament of Champions * 2001 World Games Nine-ball Singles * 2001 BCA Open Championship * 1999 ESPN Ultimate Shootout * 1999 Tournament of Champions * 1998 WPBA Penn Ray Classic * 1998 WPBA Cuetec Cues Hawaii Classic * 1997 WPBA Huebler Classic * 1997 WPBA Olhausen Classic * 1996 WPBA BCA Classic * 1995 WPBA Olhausen Classic * 1995 WPBA Brunswick Classic * 1994

Mosconi Cup The Mosconi Cup is an annual nine-ball pool tournament contested since 1994 between teams representing Europe and the United States. Named after American pool player Willie Mosconi, the event is comparable to the Ryder Cup in golf and the Weber ...

* 1994 WPBA U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship * 1994 WPBA Baltimore Billiards Classic * 1994 WPBA Kasson Classic * 1994 WPBA San Francisco Classic * 1994 WPBA Nationals

Achievements

* 2015 Asian Hall of Fame * 2013 BCA Hall of Fame * 2013 WPBA Hall of Fame * 2007 Pool & Billiard Magazine Fans' Top 20 Favorite Players, #4 * 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007 Ranked one of the Most Powerful People in the Sport by Billiards Digest * 1998 WPBA Sportsperson of the Year * 1994 Billiards Digest Player of The Year

Outside competition

As someone who has suffered from

scoliosis Scoliosis is a condition in which a person's spine has a sideways curve. The curve is usually "S"- or "C"-shaped over three dimensions. In some, the degree of curve is stable, while in others, it increases over time. Mild scoliosis does not ty ...

, Lee is a strong supporter of those affected by the disease, and now serves as the national spokesperson for the ''Scoliosis Association''. Lee appeared on

Fox Sports Net Fox Sports Networks (FSN), formerly known as Fox Sports Net, was the collective name for a group of regional sports channels in the United States. Formed in 1996 by News Corporation, the networks were acquired by The Walt Disney Company on Mar ...

's ''

Sport Science Sports science is a discipline that studies how the healthy human body works during exercise, and how sport and physical activity promote health and performance from cellular to whole body perspectives. The study of sports science traditionally inc ...

'', where she 12 balls in one

trick shot A trick shot (also trickshot or trick-shot) is a shot played on a billiards table (most often a pool table, though snooker tables are also used), which seems unlikely or impossible or requires significant skill. Trick shots frequently involve ...

, on March 30, 2008.

Orange County Choppers Orange County Choppers (OCC) is an American motorcycle manufacturer and lifestyle brand company based in the town of Newburgh, located in Orange County, New York, that was founded in 1999 by Paul Teutul Sr. The company was featured on '' Amer ...

built the Black Widow Bike in Lee's honor on the TV show ''

American Chopper ''American Chopper'' is an American reality television series that airs on Discovery Channel, produced by Pilgrim Films & Television. The series centers on Paul Teutul Sr. (frequently called ''Senior''), and his son Paul Teutul Jr. (also kno ...

''.

Personal life

Lee lives in

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

, with her three daughters. In February 2021, she announced that she had been diagnosed with stage IV terminal

ovarian cancer Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different c ...

. In May 2022 it was reported that her chemo treatments were successful. A documentary about her life directed by Ursula Liang, "Jeanette Lee Vs." premiered at the DOC NYC film festival on November 12, 2022. The film is part of the acclaimed ESPN series '' 30 for 30''. The film had its television debut on December 13, 2022 on ESPN.

References

External links

* http://www.blackwidowbilliards.com/ Jeanette Lee's Official Website * https://www.pabsa.org/ Pan American Billiards & Snooker Association * https://web.archive.org/web/20130305114903/http://blackwidowbilliards.co.kr/ Jeanette Lee's Official Website (Korea) * https://www.facebook.com/jeanetteleetheblackwidow * https://www.twitter.com/JeanetteLeeTBW
WPBA Profile

Jeanette Lee Photo Gallery

Video of Jeanette Lee on Xtreme Presbox (exclusive)

Press Release on the birth of her daughter Savannah

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Jeanette 1971 births Living people American pool players Female pool players Trick shot artists American sportswomen American sportspeople of Korean descent Sportspeople from Brooklyn World Games gold medalists Competitors at the 2001 World Games The Bronx High School of Science alumni 21st-century American women