Billie Jean King receives Hollywood Walk of Fame star for sports entertainment
Billie Jean King, the 12-time Grand Slam singles champion and a founding leader of the WTA Tour, has been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles for her contributions to sports entertainment.
The 81-year-old is the first woman to receive the accolade in that category, which includes NFL Hall of Famer Michael Strahan and the late actor and former NFL player Carl Weathers. King received the star on April 7, at a ceremony led by Oscar-winner Jamie Lee Curtis and NBA Hall of Famer Earvin 'Magic' Johnson.
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'I may be the first woman to be awarded a star in this category, but I'm certainly not going to be the last,' King wrote in a post on X.
King, who won 39 Grand Slam titles overall, was fundamental to the awarding of equal prize money in tennis. Her work led to the U.S. Open becoming the first Grand Slam tournament to do it in 1973, the same year that she beat Bobby Riggs in the historic 'Battle of the Sexes' tennis showdown. In 1974, King created the Women's Sports Foundation, two years after Title IX banned sex discrimination in schools in the U.S.
She has since diversified her influence across multiple sports, investing in the NWSL's Angel City FC, the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks and MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers. She also lends her name to the Billie Jean King Cup, the international women's team tennis competition.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Sports Business, Culture, Tennis, Women's Tennis
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