Billie Jean King becomes the first woman to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Tennis legend Billie Jean King on Monday became the first woman to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the new Sports Entertainment category.
Speaking at the ceremony on Hollywood Boulevard, the 81-year-old Long Beach native reminisced about the time she spent in Los Angeles in her youth.
"Some of my favorite memories were seeing the real Hollywood stars that just hung out down the road at the Los Angeles Tennis Club, Beverly Hills Tennis Club and others in the area — stars like Lucille Ball, Gilbert Roland and Doris Day. They were regulars and we saw them often — can you imagine my life as a junior tennis layer? Amazing," she said. "Now you're kind enough to give me a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, just like them."
Launched in 2023, the Sports Entertainment category honors individuals, rather than teams, who have made contributions to the world of entertainment and demonstrated "longevity of excellence" in their sport, according to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
New York Giants Hall of Fame defensive end turned Good Morning America anchor Michael Strahan was the first recipient in the category. 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.
"Sports are entertainment, and as athletes, we love performing in front of an audience. We love it," King said.
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," she said.
King was joined at the ceremony by speakers Magic Johnson — who, like King, is a member of the Dodgers' ownership group — and longtime friend Jamie Lee Curtis, both of whom have Walk of Fame Stars of their own.
"What a blessing it is to be here today to honor not only one of the 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 powerful on the court. She's got power in the courts. She's power in the press. She has power in her public advocacy. Power in her fight for freedom. Power to be who she is now," Curtis said.
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 female athlete to earn $100,000 in a year. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987.
In 1970, King was part of the "Original Nine" women's professional tennis players who broke away from the governing bodies of tennis to form their professional tour, the Virginia Slims Circuit, which later evolved into the modern Women's Tennis Association Tour.
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.
She was honored for her work as an executive producer of the 2023 Public Broadcasting Service documentary series, "Groundbreakers," which paired King and such other legendary female athletes as Basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman, two-time Women's World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Julie Foudy and athletics world-record holder Jackie Joyner- Kersee with such current stars as four-time tennis singles Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, two-time Olympic gold medal-winning snowboarder Chloe Kim and two- time Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Sunisa Lee, Martinez told City News Service.
King's other entertainment credits include being an executive producer of "The Battle of the Sexes," a 2013 documentary about her match against Riggs, portraying a judge on a 2007 episode of the long-running NBC crime and legal drama, "Law & Order," and portraying herself on episodes of such series as "Fresh Off the Boat," "Arli$$" and a 1973 episode of "The Odd Couple" that featured Riggs.
