{"id":1933,"date":"2026-05-30T16:34:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T16:34:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=1933"},"modified":"2026-05-30T16:34:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T16:34:47","slug":"larry-king-ex-husband-of-billie-jean-king-who-helped-with-growth-of-womens-pro-tennis-dies-at-81","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=1933","title":{"rendered":"Larry King, ex-husband of Billie Jean King who helped with growth of women\u2019s pro tennis, dies at 81"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>GRASS VALLEY, Calif. (AP) \u2014 Larry W. King, the former husband of Billie Jean King who partnered with her on the creation of the WTA Tour and the \u201cBattle of the Sexes\u201d tennis match, died Friday. He was 81.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=1932\">Chris Richards is uncertain for the US in World Cup and will miss Senegal friendly<\/a><\/p>\n<p>King died at his home of prostate cancer, said his wife, Nancy Bolger King.<\/p>\n<p>Larry King and Billie Jean King met at Cal State-Los Angeles and married in 1965. Billie Jean King credited him as \u201cone of the unsung heroes in the establishment of women\u2019s professional tennis in the early 1970s.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cLarry\u2019s intelligence, love, commitment and humor helped me navigate my career for more than 20 years,\u201d Billie Jean King added in a statement, saying: \u201cWe were married for 22 years and in business together for decades. 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Together, Larry and Billie Jean King founded World TeamTennis, after Billie Jean was long interested in a team format for the sport. Larry King designed the colorful courts and revamped scoring system that helped popularize the sport.<\/p>\n<p>He played a major role in a breakthrough for women\u2019s tennis in 1973. The WTA Tour was formed that year, before King went on to beat Bobby Riggs in the \u201cBattle of the Sexes,\u201d which remains the most-watched tennis match in history.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=1930\">Ukrainian Oliynykova speaks out about war at home after French Open loss to Russian<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cLarry King didn\u2019t just champion equality from the sidelines \u2014 he embodied male allyship at a defining moment for sports, culture, and society,\u201d WTA chair Valerie Camillo said. \u201cStanding with Billie Jean and sharing her mission for positive change, his moral advocacy and vital contributions as a lawyer and businessman set the stage for the WTA Tour as we know it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Larry and Billie Jean King divorced in 1987. He later married Nancy Bolger King, whom he met on the women\u2019s tour in the late 1980s. They moved a few years later to Grass Valley, where he co-founded Roller Hockey International, a professional roller hockey league played on inline skates; and Bridge Pro Tour, a professional bridge tour.<\/p>\n<p>Besides his wife, King is survived by son Sky King and daughter Katie King, and their families.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=1928\">The Latest: Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal prepare for Champions League final in Budapest<\/a><\/p>\n<p>___<\/p>\n<p>AP tennis: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/tennis<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>GRASS VALLEY, Calif. (AP) \u2014 Larry W. King, the former husband of Billie Jean King&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":132,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Larry King, ex-husband of Billie Jean King who helped with growth of women\u2019s pro tennis, dies at 81 - Raleigh Moving News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=1933\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Larry King, ex-husband of Billie Jean King who helped with growth of women\u2019s pro tennis, dies at 81 - Raleigh Moving News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"GRASS VALLEY, Calif. 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