My Take
Billie Jean King is one of those rare figures who didn't just dominate a sport — she genuinely changed the world through it. Thirty-nine Grand Slam titles across singles, doubles, and mixed doubles is an almost absurd achievement on its own, but what I find even more remarkable is that she was fighting for equal prize money and women's rights at the same time she was winning those trophies. The 1973 Battle of the Sexes match against Bobby Riggs drew something like 90 million viewers worldwide and became a genuine cultural moment, not just a tennis match. She co-founded the Women's Tennis Association, pushed for Title IX, and kept showing up as an advocate long after her playing days ended — earning the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. A Scorpio to her core: relentless, principled, and impossible to ignore.
Overview
Billie Jean King (née Moffitt; born November 22, 1943) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. King won 39 Grand Slam titles: 12 in singles, 16 in women's doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles. She was a member of the victorious United States team in seven Federation Cups and nine Wightman Cups. King is an advocate of gender equality and has long been a pioneer for equality and social justice.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Billie Jean King
- Name (Japanese)
- ビリー・ジーン・キング
- Reading
- びりー・じーん・きんぐ
- Born
- November 22, 1943 (age 82)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Scorpio / Goat
- Origin
- Long Beach, California, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 164 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- tennis player / tennis coach / sports commentator / writer / athlete
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Long Beach Polytechnic High School
- University
- California State University, Los Angeles
Awards & achievements
- 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Arthur Ashe Courage Award
- 1990 National Women's Hall of Fame
- Library of Congress Living Legend
- 2006 California Hall of Fame
- 1987 International Tennis Hall of Fame
- 1995 Sarah Palfrey Danzig Award
- 1999 Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.