Billie Jean King to become new minority owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers

Tennis icon and Southern California native Billie Jean King will be taking on a new challenge this week — one that sits close to home.

King, a longtime Los Angeles Dodgers fan, and her life partner Ilana Kloss will be officially announced as new minority owners of the team on Friday night at Dodger Stadium ahead of the team’s game against the San Diego Padres.

“I’m totally going to pinch myself … I’m pinching myself already,’’ King told the Los Angeles Times. “When you’re born and raised a Southern California kid, you dream your dreams of coming back, but how could I have ever dreamed of something like this? Joining the Dodgers is my life coming full circle.’’

King and Kloss will join the Guggenheim Baseball Management group, which includes Magic Johnson. Per the report, the couple will also become part owners of the Los Angeles Sparks, which are also run by the Guggenheim group, pending WNBA approval.

King is often considered one of the best tennis players in the history of the sport. The former World No. 1 won 39 Grand Slam titles and was a longtime captain of the U.S. Federation Cup team. The Long Beach, California, native was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987.

Per the report, the Dodgers will lean on King and Kloss to help the Dodgers with a wide range of social issues — something the 74-year-old has long been outspoken about. King, who came out as gay in 1998, has advocated for LGBT rights both in the sport of tennis and out for decades. She also has led the charge in helping women’s tennis evolve into what it is today, having founded the Women’s Tennis Association while fighting for equal rights and pay in the sport from the beginning of her career.

It seems the Dodgers, who are one of the most diverse organizations in Major League Baseball and are often at the forefront of social issues, are the perfect fit for her.

“The thing I love about the Dodgers is that they’re concerned with inclusion and they want to do good,’’ King told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s so good to have different voices, different cultures, more ideas, better ideas.”

King, who currently lives in New York, said she won’t have a full-time presence with either team as an owner. She still has plenty on her plate with her foundation and role in the tennis world.

“I can’t just bop in whenever I want, but I’m going to do a lot of listening and learning, and we’re going to help in any way we can,’’ King told the Los Angeles Times. “Sports is the last place where women are getting any opportunities; this is such a gift, and I’m really excited to get reconnected in my home element.’’

The Dodgers, though, have been a part of King’s life since she was a child. Her dad would read her the box score out of the newspaper nearly every day, and she remembers the excitement her and her father shared when the team announced they were relocating to Los Angeles from Brooklyn in the 1950s.

Now, she gets to come home.

“I know it’s real, but it’s not real,’’ King told the Los Angeles Times. “This is such a gift. I’m incredibly grateful that [Guggenheim group chairman Mark Walter] saw the value that we can bring, and I hope we can make a difference.’’

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