About Billie Jean King
Country of Birth
United States
Industry
Sports
Top Achievements
Billie Jean King is known for both her exceptional tennis career as well as her long-standing advocacy for equality, in particular gender equality in the sporting sector, and social justice. Her career took off in 1973 when she won the “Battle of the Sexes” match against 55-year-old Bobby Riggs when she was 29. The battle had over 90 million viewers around the world and King quickly became a household name. She holds 39 Grand Slam titles divided across singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles, as well as 20 career victories at Wimbledon. She is known as one of the top female tennis players of all time and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987. On and off the court, King has fought passionately for gender equality and social justice on a national level, resulting in her pioneering many of the women-focused tennis associations.
Early Life and Education
Born in Long Beach, California in 1943, King’s family set the stage for athletics. Her mother excelled at swimming, her father played basketball and baseball, and ran track, and her younger brother became a major league baseball player. King grew up playing baseball and softball but switched to tennis when she was 11 to pursue a more “lady-like” sport. Even from a young age, King was known to fight for what she believed in – as proven when she was forbidden to take a group photo at a tournament because she wore shorts her mother made her instead of the standard white dress.
Early Career
Much of King’s early career involves tournaments and making a name for herself. She started competing in 1959 when she made her Grand Slam debut at only 15 years old. Although she lost in the first round, this kicked off a succession of local, regional, and international tennis tournaments which would continue throughout her career. She began her professional career in 1968 and by 1971 she was the first female athlete to ever win over $100,000 in a single season.
Achievements
Billie Jean was instrumental in advocating for gender equality within tennis. She helped form a separate women’s tour, founded and became the first president of the Women’s Tennis Association, founded the Women’s Sports Foundation, and worked for women to receive financial backing from commercial sponsors in the fight for gender pay equality.
Recognition
Throughout her career, Billie Jean gained considerable recognition in her field.
- In 1972, she was the joint winner of the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Award
- In 1975, she was awarded the Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award
- In 1987, she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame
- In 2006, the USTA National Tennis Center in NYC was renamed to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in her honor
- In 2010, she was awarded the Fed Cup Award of Excellence
- In 2018, she won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award
Additional Facts
- She helped push for equal prize money for the men’s and women’s games.
- Once married to Larry King, Billie Jean and Larry separated once Billie came out as a lesbian, pursuing a relationship with her now life partner, Ilana Kloss.
- Her fight for gender equality also covers LGBTQ+ rights.
