Billie Jean King
American tennis champion and gender equality pioneer.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Billie Jean King, born Billie Jean Moffitt on November 22, 1943, is a former world No. 1 tennis player from the United States. Over her career, she collected 39 Grand Slam titles—12 in singles, 16 in women’s doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles. She also helped the U.S. win seven Federation Cups and nine Wightman Cups.
A lifelong champion of gender equality and social justice, King is best known for defeating 55-year-old Bobby Riggs in the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” match when she was 29. She founded both the Women’s Tennis Association and the Women’s Sports Foundation. In the 1970s, she played a key role in getting Virginia Slims to sponsor women’s tennis, and later served on the board of its parent company, Philip Morris, in the 2000s.
King entered the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987. She received the Fed Cup Award of Excellence in 2010. In 1972, she shared Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year award with John Wooden, and was named one of Time’s Persons of the Year in 1975. Her honors include the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year lifetime achievement award. She was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1990. In 2006, the USTA National Tennis Center in New York was renamed the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. She won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. The Federation Cup was renamed the Billie Jean King Cup in 2020. In 2022, she received the French Legion of Honour, and in 2024, a Congressional Gold Medal.
King grew up in Long Beach, California, in a Methodist family. Her father, Bill Moffitt, was a firefighter; her mother, Betty, was a housewife. Both parents were athletic—her mother swam well, and her father played basketball, baseball, and ran track. Her younger brother, Randy Moffitt, pitched 12 seasons in Major League Baseball for the San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, and Toronto Blue Jays. As a child, King excelled at baseball and softball, playing shortstop at age 10 on a team with girls four to five years older. That team won the Long Beach softball championship.
At 11, her parents suggested she switch to a more “ladylike” sport, so she moved from softball to tennis. She saved $8 (about $92.40 in 2024) to buy her first racket. She took her first lesson with a school friend on Long Beach’s free public courts, taught by city pro
- born
- November 22, 1943
- field
- Tennis
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Gender equality advocacy; Battle of the Sexes; founder of Women's Tennis Association and Women's Sports Foundation
Lore & Background
Billie Jean Moffitt was born in Long Beach, California, into a Methodist family. Her father was a firefighter, her mother a housewife, and her younger brother Randy Moffitt became a Major League Baseball pitcher. She excelled at baseball and softball as a child, playing shortstop at age 10 on a team that won the Long Beach softball championship. At age 11, she switched to tennis because her parents suggested she find a more 'ladylike' sport. She saved $8 to buy her first racket and took free lessons from professional Clyde Walker. As a youth, she was forbidden from being in a group picture at a tournament because she wore tennis shorts instead of a white tennis dress. At age 13 or 14, when asked by minister Bob Richards what she would do with her life, she replied, 'Reverend, I'm going to be the best tennis player in the world.'
Reader's Guide
Billie Jean King's significance extends beyond her 39 Grand Slam titles and record 20 Wimbledon titles. She was a central figure in the fight for gender equality in sports, founding the Women's Tennis Association and the Women's Sports Foundation. Her 1973 'Battle of the Sexes' victory over Bobby Riggs became a cultural milestone. She was instrumental in securing Virginia Slims sponsorship for women's tennis and later served on the board of their parent company Philip Morris. King received numerous honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame (1987), and the renaming of the USTA National Tennis Center in her honor (2006). In 2020, the Federation Cup was renamed the Billie Jean King Cup. She completed her history degree in 2026 at age 82.
Did You Know?
- King won a record 20 career titles at Wimbledon: six in singles, ten in women's doubles, and four in mixed doubles.
- She was the joint winner of the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year award in 1972 with John Wooden.
- King completed her history degree at California State University, Los Angeles in May 2026 at age 82.
- The Federation Cup was renamed the Billie Jean King Cup in 2020 in her honor.
More in Tennis 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record