Billy jean king biography

(1943-)

Who Is Billie Jean King?

Billie Jean King became the top-ranked women's tennis player by 1967. In 1973, she formed the Women's Tennis Association and famously defeated Bobby Riggs in the "Battle of the Sexes." The first prominent female athlete to admit her homosexuality, King continued her work as an influential social activist after retiring from tennis.

Athletic Beginnings

King was born Billie Jean Moffitt on November 22, 1943, in Long Beach, California, to parents Bill and Betty.

Billy jean king biography

The Moffitts were an athletic family: Bill was offered a tryout for an NBA team before becoming a firefighter, and Betty, a homemaker, was an excellent swimmer. Their second child, Randy, became a Major League Baseball pitcher.

King's early sport was softball; at age 10, she played shortstop on a team of 14- and 15-year-old girls that won the city championship.

However, her parents suggested she try a more "ladylike" sport, and at age 11, she began