Billie Jean King has gone back to her roots by becoming part of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ ownership group.
The tennis champion first became enamored with the team when they arrived from Brooklyn in 1958.
King said she and her younger brother, Randy Moffitt, “grew up bleeding Dodger blue” in Long Beach, California.
Moffitt later pitched in the majors for teams that included rivals the San Francisco Giants, or as King put it: “The wrong team.”
King and her partner, Ilana Kloss, have taken an undisclosed stake in the Dodgers at the invitation of owner Mark Walter.
“It’s a great thing for the Dodgers,” manager Dave Roberts said.
Pending approval by the WNBA, King and Kloss are also expected to have an ownership interest along with Walter in the Los Angeles Sparks.
“We’re not allowed to talk about it,” King said, referring to her percentage of the Dodgers. “We’re all in this together.”
King said she hopes they “can make a difference that’s meaningful and be impactful.”
She and Kloss met Walter and his wife, Kimbra, in the past year while helping raise money for a new tennis complex in Chicago, where King splits her time when she is not in New York.
“We took a beat and waited, and then said we’ve got to do this,” said Kloss, who is King’s former doubles partner. “It’s funny how little deals sometimes take forever and deals that are the most meaningful are about the people and the relationships.”
Walter, King and Kloss did not get into specifics about what their roles with the team would be.
“We need a lot of listening first, because this has happened very fast,” King said. “We need to learn from everybody.”
Walter said King and Kloss “know a ton” about professional sports and leagues, with King having cofounded World TeamTennis, which just wrapped up its 43rd season.
“They’re so underselling what they add in terms of value,” he said.
One area that King and Kloss hope to expand upon is the team’s efforts to be inclusive to the LGBTQ community.
“I care so much about everyone,” King said. “I want everyone to feel included.”
Kloss added: “We really are excited not only about doing well, but doing good.”
King, the 74-year-old former No. 1 player in the world, was like a kid at batting practice on Thursday. Sporting a No. 17 jersey, she and Kloss stood behind the cage watching the Dodgers take cuts while chatting with coaches.
King said it is her and her brother’s favorite number, as both favor odd numbers.
King caught up with outfielder Chase Utley, whom she has known since his days with the Philadelphia Phillies. She pointed out that they attended the same junior high and high school, albeit at different times, in Long Beach.
King and Kloss are the first women among the current Dodgers ownership, which includes NBA legend Magic Johnson and entertainment executive Peter Guber.
“It’s great as women that we’re a part of this,” King said. “It sends a very strong message.”
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