Billie Jean King was a world-renowned tennis player who topped the world rankings and won 39 grand slam titles. She was also a social activist who advocated for gender equality in sports.

When she was a kid, Billie Jean loved to play basketball and softball and spent her savings of $8 on her first racket. She started playing tennis when she was 11 and took free lessons from tennis pro Clyde Walker on Long Beach’s public courts.

While she was a teenager, she attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School and was admitted to California State University, Los Angeles. However, she decided to focus on her tennis career instead of studying at college.

She became a leader in the women’s liberation movement and was involved with several of its major events. She was also a strong supporter of Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in all federally funded school programs.

In 1973, she played the famous Battle of the Sexes match against Bobby Riggs and was the first woman to win a major tennis match against a male player. Her match helped to break down barriers for women athletes and she went on to found the Women’s Sports Foundation, the United States women’s national tennis team and World Team Tennis.

While she may have been one of the best tennis players in the world, King’s true legacy was her unwavering commitment to equality in all aspects of her life. She spoke out against the sexism in women’s sport and helped to pass Title IX, which made it illegal to discriminate against a student on the basis of their gender in all federally funded schools.