Billie Jean King, an American tennis player, was born on November 22, 1943. She has previously held the position of world No. 1. Twelve of King’s Grand Slam titles came in the singles competition, sixteen in the women’s doubles, and eleven in the mixed doubles.
For the United States, King played a key role in seven Federation Cup and nine Wightman Cup victories. She led the United States for three consecutive years in the Federation Cup.
Early Years
Bill and Betty Moffitt welcomed their daughter Billie Jean on November 22, 1943, to the city of Long Beach, California.
Betty, a housewife, was a talented swimmer, and Bill Moffitt was offered a tryout with the NBA before he decided to become a firefighter. Their second child, Randy, went on to pitch in the Major Leagues.
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When King was 10 years old, she played shortstop for a city championship softball team comprised of girls aged 14 and 15.
Her parents, however, encouraged she try a more “ladylike” sport, and at the age of 11, she began playing tennis on the Long Beach public courts.
What Is Billie Jean King’s Net Worth?
Billie Jean King is a former World No. 1 tennis player and an American who is now retired. She is Worth an Estimated $20 Million.
Billie Jean King is a former World No. 1 tennis player and an American who is now retired. She is Worth an Estimated $20 Million.
| Name: | Billie Jean King |
| Net Worth: | $20 Million |
| Monthly Salary: | $200 Thousand |
| Annual Income: | $5 Million |
| Source of Wealth: | Tennis player, Film Producer |
Billie Jean played in the Federation Cup and the Wightman Cup for the United States on multiple occasions, and the United States won nine Wightman Cups and seven Federation Cups during her career.
King, then 29 years old, defeated Riggs, then 55 years old, in the so-called “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match in 1973.
King was an outspoken champion for gender equality. Billie Jean King served as the United States’ Federation Cup captain for three years and as the founder of the Women’s Sports Foundation and the Women’s Tennis Association.
Personal Life
On September 17, 1965, Billie Jean married Larry King, an attorney. King had an affair with her assistant, Marilyn Barnett, after realizing a few years later that she had a crush on women.
If the Kings requested Marilyn to leave their Malibu house in 1979, she threatened to publish letters that Billie Jean had written to her. After the failed leak attempt, Barnett filed a lawsuit against the couple, seeking half of their salary and the couple’s Malibu house.
In 1981, when Marilyn King launched a palimony case against Billie Jean Barnett, the public learned about King’s affair with Barnett, costing Billie Jean an estimated $2 million in endorsements. The palimony claim was eventually dismissed.
In a 1972 “Ms.” magazine story, Larry revealed (without Billie Jean’s knowledge) that the tennis star had an abortion the previous year.
In a 2018 interview, King explained her decision “Creators,” she explains, “I was not in a good place, and that’s why I had an abortion. I didn’t want to have a child since I was still coming to terms with my sexuality, my life, and the impending tour.”
King’s affair with her doubles partner Ilana Kloss led to their 1987 divorce. On October 18, 2018, she wed Kloss in a ceremony officiated by ex-New York City Mayor David Dinkins.
Accomplishments and Honors
Billie Jean has won numerous awards for her playing prowess. As far as we can tell, she is the first female athlete to be named Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated.
Frank Deford of Sports Illustrated claims that later on, Jean was used as a sexual icon. Certainly, Seventeen magazine deemed her to be the most admired lady on the planet.
She was also up for induction into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame, in addition to the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Ahead of his time, King also spoke out against bias against the LGBT community.
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She was so revered that the Billie Jean King Sports Complex, covering 11 acres, was renamed in her honor. Later, in 2006, the Women’s Sports Foundation established an award in her honor, naming it the Billie Awards.
- Some of her other honors to date are noted here.
- Associated Press’s Female Athlete of the Year for 1967
- 1990 “100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century” by Life magazine
- The Arthur Ashe Award for Courage (1999)
- Philippe Chatrier Award – International Tennis Federation (ITF) in 2003
- Office of the Manhattan Borough President (honorary award in 2008) (honorary award in 2008)
- In May 2009, Barack Obama presented a recipient with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
- Impact 25 as ranked by ESPNW (2014)
- Marie Claire magazine lists the eight greatest moments in female athletic history.
- The BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award (2018)
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