Billie Jean King awarded Congressional Gold Medal, first individual female athlete to receive honor

Tennis icon Billie Jean King received the Congressional Gold Medal, becoming the first individual female athlete to receive the honor.

President Joe Biden signed the bill into law Thursday “in recognition of a remarkable life devoted to championing equal rights for all, in sports and in society,” according to a White House release.

An incredible honor for the remarkable Billie Jean King. ✨ pic.twitter.com/gCI3o43E7p

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 27, 2024

King, a 39-time Grand Slam champion in singles, doubles and mixed doubles, is a trailblazer for gender equity in sport. The 80-year-old helped form the Women’s Tennis Association and advocated for equal pay in women’s and men’s tennis. The US Open became the first Grand Slam to offer equal prize money to men and women in 1973 thanks to King’s work. That same year, she beat Bobby Riggs in the famous Battle of the Sexes.

King has remained an integral figure in tennis since her retirement and is also involved with several ownership groups across professional sports via Billie Jean King Enterprises. She has minority stakes in the NWSL’s Angel City FC, the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks and MLB’s Los Angeles Dodgers and is an advisor to the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL).

King becomes the 12th individual athlete to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, joining a list that includes Dodgers star Jackie Robinson, boxer Joe Louis, Olympian Jesse Owens and golfers Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. The 1980 U.S. Olympic team also received the honor in July of that year.

In 2009, King earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

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 (Photo: Robert Prange / Getty Images)