Billie Jean King

Named one of the “100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century” by Life magazine and the first female athlete to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the first solo female athlete to receive Congressional Gold Medal, Billie Jean King is the founder of the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative, the Women’s Tennis Association and the Women’s Sports Foundation, and part of the ownership groups of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Angel City FC and the Los Angeles Sparks.

In her legendary tennis career, King captured 39 Grand Slam singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles, including a record 20 Wimbledon championships. Her historic win over Bobby Riggs in the 1973 Battle of the Sexes, is one of the greatest moments in sports history. In June 2022, on the 50th anniversary of her French Open victory, she received France’s highest order of merit, the Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur, from President Macron, and was inducted into the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee Hall of Fame as a special contributor.

In 2020, Fed Cup, the world cup of women’s tennis, was renamed the Billie Jean King Cup, making it the first global team competition to be named after a woman. In 2019, King’s Southern California roots were recognized with the opening of the Billie Jean King Main Library in her hometown of Long Beach, California. In 2006, the home of the US Open was renamed the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in honor of her accomplishments on and off the court. In 2017, Fox Searchlight released the critically acclaimed film, Battle of the Sexes, which depicts the cultural and social impact of the groundbreaking match.

Among her numerous accolades, King was the first female athlete ever to be named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year in 1972. In 2018, King received a Lifetime Achievement Award as part of the prestigious BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards. In 2021, she received the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award and the Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award. King serves on the board of the Women’s Sports Foundation, is an adidas Global Ambassador and is the Honorary Lifetime President of the Elton John AIDS Foundation and a past member of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. Her memoir, "ALL IN: An Autobiography," was a New York Times best seller.