Billie Jean Moffitt professionally known as Billie Jean King is an American former female World No. 1 professional tennis player. She is well-known to win 39 Grand Slam titles- 12 in singles, 16 in women’s doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles. She began her career at the age of 10 and started competing in various games in 1959. She often represented the United States in the Federation Cup and the Wightman Cup.
Billie played 51 Grand Slam singles events from 1959 through 1983, reaching at least the semi-finals in 27 and at least the quarterfinals in 40 of her attempts. Throughout her career, she won 129 singles titles, 78 of which were WTA titles, and her career prize money totaled US$1,966,487.
Billie played doubles sporadically from 1984 through 1990, as she and Vijay Amritraj were seeded sixth for the Wimbledon Mixed Doubles 1984, but they withdrew before the tournament began. Thus, she retired from competitive play in doubles in March 1990. Now on, from March 2021, Billie Jean has been an advisor to the First Women’s Bank in Chicago.
| Billie Jean King Bio | |
|---|---|
| Bio/Wiki | |
| Name | Billie Jean King |
| Real Name | Billie Jean Moffitt |
| Nick Name | Billie |
| Profession | American former Tennis Player |
| Famous For | American former Tennis Player |
| Debut | 1959 |
| Personal Information | |
| Date of Birth | 22nd November 1943 |
| Age (as in 2021) | 78 years |
| Birthplace | Long Beach, California, U.S. |
| Zodiac sign | Sagittarius |
| Nationality | American |
| Hometown | California, U.S.A |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Physical Status | |
| Height (approx.) | 1.64Â m (5'5") |
| Weight (approx.) | 68 Kg |
| Eye Colour | Grey |
| Hair Colour | Brown |
| Education and More | |
| School | Â Long Beach Polytechnic High School |
| College/University |  California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) |
| Educational Qualification | Graduate |
| Family and Relationships | |
| Father | Bill Moffitt |
| Mother | Â Betty Moffitt |
| Siblings | Brother: Randy Moffitt (younger) |
| Marital Status | Divorced |
| Affairs/Girlfriends/Boyfriends/Partner | Ilana Kloss |
| Spouse |  Larry King (m. 1965–1987) |
| Children(s) | Not Known |
| Career | |
| Honours | Â in 1972 made her only the fifth woman in tennis history to win the singles titles at all four Grand Slam events, a "career Grand Slam". |
| Achievements | Was the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year in 1967 |
| 1972- became the first tennis player to be named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year; the first female athlete ever to receive that honor. | |
| 1975- Seventeen magazine found that she was the most admired woman in the world from a poll of its readers; May 19, 1975, Sports Illustrated article about King, Frank Deford noted that she had become something of a sex symbol. | |
| Was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987 | |
| Life magazine in 1990 named her one of the "100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century" | |
| Was the recipient of the 1999Â Arthur Ashe Courage Award | |
| 1999- was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame | |
|  2000- received an award from GLAAD, an organization devoted to reducing discrimination against gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender people, for "furthering the visibility and inclusion of the community in her work" | |
| 2003- the International Tennis Federation (ITF) presented her with its highest accolade, the Philippe Chatrier Award, for her contributions to tennis both on and off the court | |
| 2006- the Women's Sports Foundation began to sponsor the Billie Awards, which are named after and hosted by King | |
| August 28, 2006- the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park was rededicated as the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center; John McEnroe, Venus Williams, Jimmy Connors, and Chris Evert were among the speakers during the rededication ceremony. | |
| 2006- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife Maria Shriver inducted her into the California Hall of Fame located at The California Museum for History, Women, and the Arts. | |
| Â November 20, 2007- was presented with the 2007 Sunday Times Sports Women of the Year Lifetime Achievement award for her contribution to sport both on and off the court | |
| Was honored by the Office of the Manhattan Borough President in March 2008 and was included in a map of historical sites related or dedicated to important women | |
| August 12, 2009- President Barack Obama awarded King the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work advocating for the rights of women and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community | |
| Was inducted into the Southern California Tennis Hall of Fame on August 5, 2011 | |
| August 2, 2013- was among the first class of inductees into the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame | |
| 2014-was named one of ESPNW's Impact 25 | |
| Was shown in Marie Claire magazine's "The 8 Greatest Moments for Women in Sports" | |
| Received the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award on December 16, 2018; was presented to by long-time friend and fellow tennis player and broadcaster Sue Barker, making Billie only the second American (after Michael Phelps) and the first American woman to win the award | |
| Cal State LA's more than 11 acres (4.5 ha) athletic facility is named the Billie Jean King Sports Complex; the sports complex—which was approved by the California State University Board of Trustees on September 21—features the Eagle's Nest Arena, the University Stadium, Jesse Owens Track and Field, Reeder Field (baseball), the swimming pool, and tennis and basketball courts | |
| Coach | Clyde Walker |
| Team | World Tennis Team |
| Net Worth/Salary/Assets | |
| Net Worth | $40 million |
| Salary | Not Known |
| Assets | Not Known |
