Jeanette Lee (born Lee Jin-Hee, Hangul: 이진희, July 9, 1971, in Brooklyn,

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 player. She was nicknamed 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 (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 regardl ...

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

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 the ...

in Akita, Japan, 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 at

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 of e ...

, in Manila, Philippines, 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.

Titles and achievements

* 2013 Four Bears Classic 8-Ball * 2007 Skins Billiards Championship * 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 * 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 t ...

, 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's '' Sport Science'', where she 12 balls in one trick shot, on March 30, 2008. Orange County Choppers built the Black Widow Bike in Lee's honor on the TV show '' American Chopper''.

Personal life

Lee lives in Tampa, Florida, with her three daughters. In February 2021, she announced that she had been diagnosed with stage IV terminal ovarian cancer. 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 ''30 for 30'' is the title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN, its sister networks, and online highlighting interesting people and events in sports history. This includes three "volumes" of 30 episodes each, a 13-episode series un ...

''. 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