Tennis legend and feminist LGBTQ icon Billie Jean King receives Walk of Fame star – Orange County Register

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Tennis legend and feminist pioneer Billie Jean King added another first to her list of accomplishments Monday when she became the first woman to receive a star in the sports entertainment category on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Named one of the “100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century” by Life magazine, the 81-year-old Long Beach native is a trailblazing sports icon and equality advocate, becoming the first female athlete to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the first individual woman athlete honored with the Congressional Gold Medal. Her 1973 exhibition victory over Bobby Riggs in the televised “Battle of the Sexes” match was a watershed moment for women’s sports and gender equality.

“Sports are entertainment, and as athletes, we love performing in front of an audience. We love it,” King said during Monday’s ceremony.

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Billie Jean King attends a ceremony honoring her with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday, April 7, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

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King said she was honored to receive a star in the new sports entertainment category, but added she hopes she won’t be the last.

“We all need to work together to make sure women in sports are celebrated here in Hollywood,” King said.

The sports entertainment category was announced in 2021 by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which administers the Walk of Fame. It honors individuals — not teams or sports affiliated groups — who have made significant contributions to the world of entertainment and demonstrated “longevity of excellence” in their sport, according to Ana Martinez, the Hollywood Walk of Fame’s producer.

New York Giants Hall of Fame defensive end turned “Good Morning America” anchor Michael Strahan was the first recipient in the category, in 2023.

The second recipient was the late Carl Weathers, honored for a nearly 50-year acting career best remembered for his portrayal of Sylvester Stallone’s boxing nemesis-turned-friend and mentor Apollo Creed in the first four “Rocky” movies.

Coincidentally, King and Weathers are both graduates of Long Beach Poly High School.

Laker great Magic Johnson, a fellow member of the Dodgers’ ownership group with King, and Oscar-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis, a longtime friend of King’s, both spoke at the ceremony honoring the tennis legend with the 2,807th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“What a blessing it is to be here today to honor one of the not only greatest tennis players that has ever played, but one of the greatest people,” Johnson said. “What I love about Billie Jean is that she used her platform to bring about change.”

Building on Johnson’s praise, Curtis highlighted King’s far-reaching influence beyond tennis, focusing on her relentless fight for equality and justice.

“Billie Jean’s contribution is power. Billie Jean King is power, is all power. She’s power on the court. She’s power in the courts. She’s power in the press. She’s power in her public advocacy. Power in her fight for freedom. Power to be who she is now,” Curtis said.

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Billie Jean King of the United States reaches to deliver a backhand return on her way to defeating Ingrid Lofdahl Vukovich 8-6, 6-2 in their Women’s Singles second round match at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship on 27th June 1967 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, England. (Photo by Leonard Burt/ Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

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King won 39 Grand Slam titles — 12 in singles competition, 16 in women’s doubles and 11 in mixed doubles. In 1971, King became the first woman athlete to earn $100,000 in a year. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987.

In 1970, King she was part of the “Original Nine” women’s professional tennis players who broke away from the governing bodies of tennis to form their own professional tour, the Virginia Slims Circuit, which later evolved into the modern Women’s Tennis Association Tour.

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FILE – In this Jan. 29, 2016, file photo, tennis great Billie Jean King, left, laughs, reacting to President Barack Obama’s remarks in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. Billie Jean King and partner Ilana Kloss have joined the Los Angeles Dodgers ownership group. The Dodgers made the announcement Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018. The tennis great says Dodgers owner and chairman Mark Walter and the organization have proven to be leaders in sports on and off the field. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

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She was also among the founders of World Team Tennis, the first co-ed professional sports league. She is a member of the Professional Women’s Hockey League Founding Advisory Board. The league’s Most Valuable Player award is named for her.

“This is one of those special moments where people talk about legacy … and I do look at legacy being what others think about you, and I do think the quality of our contributions is really what defines us without any question,” King said during the ceremony.

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