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Billie Jean King is a legendary tennis champion and social activist known for her advocacy for equality and empowerment, making her a valuable figure for brands seeking to align with these principles.
The Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative partnered with Teneral Cellars to advocate for equal rights.
Adidas joined as an official clothing partner for the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
Mastercard unveiled a new global partnership with the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge, the women's World Cup of Tennis.
E.l.f. partnered with the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge (BJKC) to further its brand commitment to sports equity.
1xBet became a global partner of the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge until 2026.
SPORTFIVE and ITF extended their strategic partnership, including Billie Jean King Cup Limited.
Founded by Billie Jean King in 1973 on the principle of equal opportunity for women in sports, the WTA is the global leader in women's professional tennis.
In 1999, King was elected to serve on the board of directors of Philip Morris Incorporated, garnering some criticism from anti-tobacco groups; she no longer serves in that capacity. King also founded the Virginia Slims tour, funded by Philip Morris.
King and Ilana Kloss became minority owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team in September 2018. The Dodgers were 2020 and 2024 World Series champions with King as part owner.
King and Ilana Kloss became minority owners of the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks basketball team in September 2018.
In October 2020, King and Ilana Kloss became part of the ownership group of Angel City FC, a Los Angeles–based team set to start play in the National Women's Soccer League in 2022.
King is an investor in Just Women's Sports, an American media platform dedicated to women's sports.
On June 29, 2023, the Mark Walter Group and BJK Enterprises purchased the intellectual property and other key elements of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF), a professional women's hockey league, with the intent to create a new professional women's ice hockey league in North America.
In March 2021, King was announced as an advisor to First Women's Bank in Chicago.
Billie Jean Moffitt was born on November 22, 1943, in Long Beach, California, into an athletic family. Her mother excelled in swimming, and her father participated in basketball, baseball, and track. King initially showed talent in baseball and softball, playing shortstop on a team of older girls and winning a Long Beach softball championship at age 10. At 11, she transitioned to tennis at her parents’ suggestion for a more ‘ladylike’ sport. She saved eight dollars to purchase her first racket. Her initial tennis lessons were taken on public courts, offered free by professional Clyde Walker of the City of Long Beach. King attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School and later Los Angeles State College (now California State University, Los Angeles), but left in 1964 to focus on her tennis career. Her aggressive playing style often caused friction with traditional tennis establishments early in her career.
King rose to prominence in professional tennis, achieving the World No. 1 ranking for six of the ten years between 1966 and 1975. She accumulated 39 Grand Slam titles, including 12 in singles, 16 in women’s doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles. A pivotal moment in her career occurred in 1973 when she defeated Bobby Riggs in the highly publicized “Battle of the Sexes” match, watched by 90 million people worldwide. This event significantly advanced the recognition and respect for women athletes. Off the court, King consistently championed gender equality and social justice. She was instrumental in founding the Women’s Tennis Association and the Women’s Sports Foundation. Her advocacy efforts led to equal prize money at the US Open in 1973, marking a significant step toward fairness in professional sports.
Throughout her career, King demonstrated a commitment to breaking barriers. In 1971, she became the first female athlete to earn over $100,000 in prize money in a single season. She also made history in 1974 as the first woman to coach a co-ed professional sports team, the Philadelphia Freedoms, and in 1984, she became the first female commissioner in professional sports. Her profound impact on tennis and society has been recognized through numerous accolades, including induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987 and being named one of the “100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century” by LIFE magazine. In honor of her legacy, the USTA National Tennis Center was renamed the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in 2006, and the Federation Cup was renamed the Billie Jean King Cup in 2020.
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