Larry W. King, the former husband of tennis legend Billie Jean King and a behind-the-scenes figure who helped shape women’s professional tennis, has died.
He was 81.
King died Friday at his home after battling prostate cancer, his wife, Nancy Bolger King, said.
While Billie Jean King became one of the most famous athletes and activists in sports history, Larry King played a major role in helping build the stage around her. The two met at Cal State-Los Angeles and married in 1965.
Billie Jean King later credited him as “one of the unsung heroes in the establishment of women’s professional tennis in the early 1970s.”
In a statement, she said Larry’s “intelligence, love, commitment and humor” helped guide her career for more than two decades.
“We were married for 22 years and in business together for decades,” Billie Jean King said. “He was involved behind the scenes when the Original 9 signed our $1 contracts and he and I co-owned several tournaments on the Virginia Slims Tour.”
The Original 9 were the trailblazing women players who risked their careers in 1970 by signing symbolic $1 contracts to launch a new era of women’s professional tennis. That bold move helped pave the way for the creation of the WTA Tour in 1973.
That same year became one of the most important in tennis history.
The WTA Tour was formed, and Billie Jean King went on to defeat Bobby Riggs in the famous “Battle of the Sexes” match. The showdown became a cultural landmark and remains one of the most-watched tennis matches ever.
Larry King was also central to another major tennis innovation.
Together, he and Billie Jean King founded World TeamTennis, a league built around the team format Billie Jean had long wanted for the sport. Larry helped create some of its most recognizable features, including the colorful courts and a revamped scoring system designed to make matches faster and more entertaining.
The Kings divorced in 1987 after 22 years of marriage.
Larry later married Nancy Bolger King, whom he met on the women’s tennis tour in the late 1980s. The couple eventually moved to Grass Valley, California.
His work did not stop with tennis. King later co-founded Roller Hockey International, a professional roller hockey league played on inline skates, and Bridge Pro Tour, a professional bridge circuit.
He is survived by his wife, Nancy; his son, Sky King; his daughter, Katie King; and their families.
Though much of his work happened away from the spotlight, Larry King’s impact on women’s tennis was enormous. He helped build the business, structure and spectacle around a movement that changed sports forever.