Billie Jean King is trading her tennis racket for a cap and gown as she prepares to graduate from college next spring, more than half a century after first setting foot in a classroom as an undergraduate.
The 80-year-old sports icon, who changed the game of tennis and paved the way for gender equity in athletics, quietly re-enrolled in college coursework during the pandemic. Now, with her final semester approaching, she’s set to receive her degree from California State University, Los Angeles, the school she once attended in the early 1960s when it was still called Los Angeles State College.
King never finished her degree the first time around, leaving school after three years to pursue a full-time tennis career. At the time, few could have predicted the impact she would go on to have—not just in sport, but in American culture. Her landmark 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” victory over Bobby Riggs, her instrumental role in founding the Women’s Tennis Association, and her advocacy for Title IX helped reshape the landscape of women’s sports.
“I’ve always believed in finishing what you start,” King said in a recent interview. “I left to follow my dreams, but I always knew I’d come back to finish this one.”
Her return to academia has been largely under the radar, conducted through a mix of online and in-person courses. King has taken classes in history, literature, and gender studies, and has reportedly earned high marks. Professors and classmates alike describe her as engaged, humble, and curious, often participating in group discussions with the same tenacity and grace she once displayed on the court.
King, who has received more than 40 honorary degrees from institutions around the world, said this one feels different because she earned it the old-fashioned way—one paper, one exam at a time.
Her graduation next spring will coincide with the 50th anniversary of her historic victory over Riggs, a moment that made her an international symbol of women’s empowerment. Though she’s long been celebrated as a champion of education and equality, receiving her diploma will mark a more personal milestone.
“Education is a lifelong journey,” King said. “And I’m proof that it’s never too late to finish writing your own story.”
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