Jeanette Lee

Jeanette Lee (born Lee Jin-Hee July 9, 1971, in Brooklyn, New York) is an 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 was born to Korean-immigrant parents in Brooklyn in 1971. She attended the Bronx High School of Science before dropping out, earning money as a teenager by nannying and waitressing. Lee started playing pool in 1989, after watching pro Johnny Ervolino at Chelsea Billiards in Manhattan. She began her career playing in the local and regional scenes of New York City, including the Howard Beach Billiard Club in Queens, owned by music producer Gabe Vigorito, who first compared her demeanor to a black widow spider and financed her early tournament expenses. 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), from 1993 to 1996. In addition to many top finishes on the WPBA Tour, she won the gold medal for the United States at the 2001 World Games in Akita, Japan, and won the ladies' 25,000 winner-take-all Tournament of Champions twice, in 1999 and 2003. Lee also co-wrote The Black Widow's Guide to Killer Pool.
In 2001, Lee challenged Efren Reyes to a -to-13 exhibition match at nine-ball, 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
2015 Asian Hall of Fame
2013 Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame
2013 WPBA Hall of Fame
2013 Four Bears Classic 8-Ball
2007 Billiards Digest Sports Most Powerful Person
2007 Skins Billiards Championship
2007 Team Cup Championship
2007 Empress Cup Championship
2005 Billiards Digest Sports Most Powerful Person
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 Billiards Digest Sports Most Powerful Person
2003 Tournament of Champions
2001 Billiards Digest Sports Most Powerful Person
2001 World Games Nine-ball Singles
2001 BCA Open Nine-ball Championship
1999 ESPN Ultimate Shootout
1999 Tournament of Champions
1998 WPBA Sportsperson of the Year
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 Billiards Digest Player of The Year
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 National Championship
1994 Connecticut State Championship
1993 North East Regional
1993 WPBA Connecticut Classic
Outside competition
As someone who has suffered from scoliosis, 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 and foster son. Lee has three additional adult children, two of whom are her stepdaughters from her marriage to George Breedlove, a professional pool player nicknamed "The Flamethrower". Lee and Breedlove married in 1996, but have since separated.
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. 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
Onthesnap.com Biography (Courtesy of archive.org)
Press Release for the Black Widow Billiards Center
Video of Jeanette Lee on Xtreme Presbox (exclusive)
Video interview 2 with Jeanette Lee at Inside POOL Magazine
Press Release on the birth of her daughter Savannah
Jeanette Lee 2008 Derby City Straight Pool Challenge Video
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