Billie Jean King Initiates the First Trade In The PBA League

Women’s sports pioneer Billie Jean King, owner of the New York City WTT KingPins in the new Professional Bowlers Association League, thought it would only be appropriate for the PBA League’s only woman owner to have a female presence on her team. To make that happen, King completed a trade with Motown Muscle owner Jerome Bettis, acquiring PBA Tour champion Kelly Kulick to her KingPins’ roster in exchange for two-time PBA titlist Brad Angelo, PBA Commissioner Tom Clark announced Monday.

The PBA League makes it historic debut as part of the Detroit Winter Swing, a multi-event week of PBA competition, Jan. 19-27 at Thunderbowl Lanes in suburban Allen Park, MI.

King is well-acquainted with Kulick’s status as an historic figure in professional bowling; she is the only woman ever to win a PBA National Tour title and the only woman ever to win an “exemption” to bowl full-time on the PBA Tour during its exempt tour era. So King requested the first trade in PBAL history to add the 2010 PBA Tournament of Champions winner to her KingPins’ roster that includes franchise player Pete Weber, Tommy Jones, Scott Norton, Jack Jurek and John Szczerbinski.

“Getting Kelly Kulick on the KingPins is a big win for us,” King said. “Kelly and I have connected through several Women’s Sports Foundation events and we were so proud of her when she became the first woman to win a PBA Tour title. She is a strong competitor, a quality person and a great addition to our team.”

 

The Motown Muscle, which also obtained future draft considerations in the trade, features franchise player Mike Fagan, Tom Smallwood, Mike Scroggins, Ronnie Russell and Jesse Buss.