American · Long Beach, California · Born 22 November 1943Billie Jean King is an American former professional tennis player and pioneering advocate for gender equity in sport who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles.
Billie Jean King, born Billie Jean Moffitt on 22 November 1943 in Long Beach, California, was raised in a working-class Methodist family, the daughter of firefighter Bill Moffitt and homemaker Betty Moffitt; her younger brother, Randy Moffitt, became a Major League Baseball pitcher. She learned tennis on public courts, buying her first racquet with money earned from odd jobs, and as a teenager was famously barred from a tournament group photograph for wearing shorts her mother had sewn instead of the traditional white dress. King won her first Wimbledon title in women's doubles in 1962 on her very first attempt, and went on to win 39 Grand Slam titles across singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, including six Wimbledon singles crowns. In 1971, she became the first female athlete to earn over $100,000 in prize money in a single season. Frustrated by the pay disparity between men's and women's tennis, King helped found the Virginia Slims Circuit in 1970 and became the founding president of the Women's Tennis Association in 1973. That September, she defeated 55-year-old former champion Bobby Riggs in the internationally televised "Battle of the Sexes" at the Houston Astrodome, watched by an estimated 90 million people worldwide, cementing her status as a leading figure in the fight for gender equality in sport. King became the first prominent professional female athlete to be publicly outed as gay in 1981, following a lawsuit that cost her most of her endorsement deals; she later married her longtime partner and doubles player, Ilana Kloss, in 2018. She co-founded the Women's Sports Foundation in 1974, was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of her lifelong advocacy for women's and LGBTQ rights in sport.
Pioneer of women's tennis and winner of the 'Battle of the Sexes'
How They Played
King was an aggressive serve-and-volley player who dominated at the net with exceptional volleys and quick reflexes. She possessed a powerful serve and forehand, combined with tactical intelligence that allowed her to adapt her game to different opponents and surfaces.
Lasting Impact
King revolutionized women's tennis by fighting for equal prize money and founding the WTA, fundamentally changing the professional landscape for female athletes. Her activism extended far beyond tennis, making her one of the most influential figures in sports history for gender equality.
Career Honours
- 12 Grand Slam singles titles
- Wimbledon champion 6 times
- seven-time Fed Cup champion with the USA
- founder of the WTA
American Athletes