above: Billie Jean King, née Moffitt, is also known as BJK. – Portrait by Howard Schatz
Athlete, Advocate and Activist Billie Jean King is honored at BOOKED for the evening at the Westport Public Library on the occasion of the event’s 25th anniversary celebration.
One of the greatest tennis players of all time and a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient for her advocacy for women in sports and LGBTQ rights, Billie Jean King won 39 Grand Slam titles; 12 in singles, 16 in women’s doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles and finished No. 1 in the world on five occasions, in her tennis career and led the fight for equal pay in tennis. She stands as a seminal figure in the history of sports and society, championing equality and fairness on and off the court.
The evening pays tribute in the words of the Library’s Executive Director Bill Harmer to a woman who “stands as one of the most iconic figures of any American generation, who has been feted by numerous organizations that honor athletics, equity, women’s rights, and gay rights.”
The event honors the legacy of both King and the library’s silver jubilee which Co-Founder and longtime Co-Chair of BOOKED for the evening Stacy Bass puts perfectly into perspective from its first event born out of the opportunity to bring Tom Brokaw to speak at the library in connection with his then-new book, The Greatest Generation. “One of the things I love about BOOKED is that whilst it has both evolved and improved over the years, it still stays true to its original spirit,” notes Bass. “We still faithfully adhere to our goal to ‘recognize an individual whose work reflects the purpose of the library: to nurture the love of learning and to enhance our understanding of the world.” This year’s event no doubt honors a tennis great who fulfills that mission to a tee. Her influence and playing style elevated the status of women’s professional tennis, her story one of the most widely reported among sport’s greatest athletes.
Billie Jean began playing tennis at the age of 11 in her hometown of Long Beach, California. After one of her first tennis lessons, she told her mother, “I’m going to be No. 1 in the world.” In 1966, King achieved the goal she set for herself when she was ranked No.1 in the world in women’s tennis. She held on to the illustrious ranking for five additional years, from 1967-1968, 1971-1972, and in 1974.
Fresh off of her return from the 2024 Olympics in Paris and hanging out with Snoop Dogg where the two connected about being born and raised in the same town and attending Long Beach Polytechnic High School, the Founder of the Billie Jean King Foundation and Adidas Global Ambassador continues to be groundbreaking at the age of 80!
“When I was growing up and I went out to watch a baseball game, I was 9 years old and I was looking out there and my heart sank and I will never forget it,” King shares. “I can’t play baseball because I am a girl. I can play, maybe, but I can’t play pro, I’ll never forget it.” She confronted the truth which was “there really was nothing for girls in sports. There was no way we could make a living whereas guys were making a living. It was devastating.” She set out to change that.
Today her list of accolades knows no bounds. In Paris last month she was reunited with Serena Williams whom she had the privilege to work with as part of her role as the Team USA Women’s Tennis Team coach at the 2000 Sydney games where Serena and Venus won their first medals, gold in doubles. They would go on to win doubles gold again in 2008 and 2012. Game, set, march seems like the perfect way to explain every moment of king’s illustrious career from player to coach. Yet it is that pivotal moment, her victory over Bobby Riggs in the famed Battle of the Sexes match in 1973, that was a seminal moment in the history of professional sports.
The most talked-about tennis match in history was a turning point for women in athletics, proving that skill is not dependent upon gender. It set the now-icon on a path that goes back to a moment she had as a 12-year-old player who felt white players in white uniforms most certainly did not represent everyone. Not even close.
“No one really understands inclusion unless they have been excluded and if there is one thing, I have learned it’s whatever we do we should do with pride, passion and purpose,” notes King. We should never let anyone define us. We define ourselves!” And with that sentiment she has carried since the age of 12, King’s groundbreaking achievements have afforded today’s female athletes’ equal opportunity in the world of sports.
In 1973, she spearheaded the formation of the Women’s Tennis Association and became its first president. She lobbied for equal prize money and equal treatment for both sexes at the U.S. Open which became the first major tournament to offer equal prize money to both men and women. Tirelessly she fought with gusto off the court and helped establish the Virginia Slims Tour, the Women’s Sports Foundation, and Co-Founded World TeamTennis.
She did this while racking up some serious stats. In the Open Era, King won eight major singles titles, the 7th best in history, appeared in 12 finals and 28 quarterfinals. She won 129 singles titles, 62 as an amateur and 67 on the WTA Tour.
Her fight for financial parity for all women will always remain just as much her legacy as her illustrious trophies. The champion, trailblazer and activist famously said, “Pressure is a privilege and champions adjust,” which was emblazoned on a limited-edition Wheaties Box that launched this May. She continues to champion equality as the face of elf BEAUTY’s “Change the Board Game” campaign where she serves facts to smash the status quo with a different set of alarming facts: women only make up 27% of US corporate boards yet they are 47% of the workforce. She’s on a mission to change what remains broken outside of the world of tennis stopping at seemingly nothing to shed light on what she feels most passionately about, equality.
WHAT A SCORE
King’s Career Highlights By The Numbers
1943-1960
Early Life and Beginnings
1943
Born on November 22 in Long Beach, California.
1959
At age 15, won the Southern California championship.
1961-1970
Rise to Prominence 1961: Won her first major title in women’s doubles at Wimbledon with Karen Hantze Susman.
1965
Married Larry King (no relation to the talk show host).
1966
Won her first Wimbledon singles title, defeating Maria Bueno.
1967
Won the U.S. Open and Wimbledon singles titles; named Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year.
1968
Turned professional as the Open Era began in tennis; won Wimbledon singles title.
1971-1980
Peak and Advocacy
1971
Became the first female athlete to earn over $100,000 in prize money in a single season.
1972
Won three Grand Slam titles (French Open, Wimbledon, and U.S. Open); named Sports Illustrated Sportswoman of the Year.
1973
Won the “Battle of the Sexes” match against Bobby Riggs on September 20, a landmark event for gender equality in sports.
1974
Founded the Women’s Sports Foundation and co-founded World TeamTennis.
1975
Ranked world No. 1 for the last time; won her final Wimbledon singles title.
1981-1990
Transition and Continued Influence
1981
Publicly acknowledged her same-sex relationship, becoming a prominent advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.
1983
Retired from competitive singles tennis.
1987
Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
1991-Present
Legacy and Impact
1990
Named one of the “100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century” by Life magazine.
1999
Awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage Award by ESPN.
2006
Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.
2009
The USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, was renamed the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
2020
Released her memoir, “All In.”
2021
Awarded the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award.
2024
Featured on the Wheaties cereal box. This honor came in recognition of her contributions to sports and social justice, highlighting her legacy as both a tennis champion and an advocate for equality and inclusion.
CONTINUING INFLUENCE
Billie Jean King continues to be an influential figure in sports and social activism, advocating for gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, and promoting opportunities for women in sports.