The 81-year-old tennis icon, and proud out lesbian, has become the first woman to receive a star in the newly created sports entertainment category on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The dedication ceremony took place Monday near the legendary intersection of Hollywood and Vine, right across from the Pantages Theater. The marquee flashed the message: “A star for a star. Congratulations Billie Jean King.”
King was joined by her wife Ilana Kloss, NBA great Magic Johnson, and Oscar-winner Jamie Lee Curtis. Speaking to the crowd, King said, “The important thing is, I don’t want to be the last one.” King’s star is the 2,807th on the Walk of Fame. Her legacy goes far beyond tennis. She won 39 Grand Slam titles and changed the face of sports forever—most famously by defeating Bobby Riggs in 1973’s “Battle of the Sexes,” watched by 50 million people worldwide.
She pushed for equal pay in tennis, threatening to skip the U.S. Open if women weren’t paid fairly. And she’s paved the way for LGBTQ athletes for decades. From her secret 2018 wedding to Kloss, to founding the Women’s Sports Foundation, King has been breaking barriers all her life. Today, her star shines—on the Walk of Fame and in our hearts.
