Billie Jean King
American, 1943
Place ActiveNew York, New York, United States
Billie Jean King is a former professional tennis player and champion for gender equality. King beat Bobby Riggs in the "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match, then the most viewed tennis match in history. King became one of the first openly lesbian major sports figures in America when she came out in 1981. In 1974, King founded the Women's Sports Foundation and co-founded the World Team Tennis League, becoming the first woman commissioner in professional sports. President Barack Obama awarded her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.