Billie Jean King honoured by Hollywood Walk of Fame

Billie Jean King (Gage Skidmore, USA Today)

According to Madison Williams of  Sports Illustrated on Tuesday, tennis icon Billie Jean King of Long Beach, California has earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. King was honoured because of the incredible impact she has had on promoting female participation in sport on a global scale.

From an entertainment perspective, a movie was made about King’s historical impact in women’s tennis in 2017. King was portrayed by American movie star Emma Stone of Scottsdale, Arizona. In the movie, we learned about King’s victory over Bobby Riggs at the Astrodome in Houston in 1973, which was simply known as “The Battle of the Sexes”, and King’s role in creating “the Original 9,” which evolved into the WTA Tour.

It should also be noted that King has had a significant impact to the state of California where Hollywood is located. She is a part owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers in Major League Baseball. 

King is the first female sports athlete to earn a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and third athlete overall. The other two are former football players Michael Strahan of Houston, Texas and Carl Weathers of New Orleans, Louisiana. Strahan and Weathers were honoured for their impact in the entertainment world as well as their careers in the National Football League. Strahan played for the New York Giants and won two Emmy Awards for his work on Live! with Kelly and Michael. Weathers played with the Oakland Raiders and went on to star in the Rocky movies, Toy Story and Happy Gilmore.