Billie Jean King

Billie Jean King spent her career as one of the greatest tennis players in the world fiercely advocating equal pay and recognition for the sport’s women. 

King leveraged her immense skill, fame and influence to permanently elevate women’s tennis while defending her perch as one of the top players in the world. She spearheaded the creation of the first all-female professional tennis tour and pushed the U.S. Open into offering equal prize money for the winners of its men’s and women’s tournaments.

But perhaps King’s most iconic victory for women’s sports came in the Battle of Sexes against Bobby Riggs in 1973. Riggs, then 55 years old and three decades past his prime, had just trounced Australian great Margaret Court in a bid to prove the inferiority of women’s tennis and challenged King to prove him wrong. She did, running Riggs up and down the court in an embarrassing loss televised before millions of people.

King has also fought tirelessly for LGBTQ equality after becoming one of the first and most prominent athletes to be publicly outed. Her decision to publicly embrace her sexuality despite the prevalence of homophobia during the 1980s marked a major milestone for LGBTQ visibility in sports and the start of her efforts to foster a more inclusive, equitable world.

— Sylvan Lane

photo: Getty Images