DEAD OR ALIVE

Billie Jean King

American former world No. 1 tennis player and pioneering advocate for women's rights in sports.

Billie Jean King is one of 1179 people in the A–Z index, listed under B.

Is Billie Jean King dead or alive?

Who is Billie Jean King?

Billie Jean King is best known for Winning 39 Grand Slam tennis titles and advocating for gender equality in sports. On Dead or Alive, Billie Jean King is listed in the Tennis Legends category, where you can test yourself on similar names. Dead or Alive is a trivia game: you decide whether a famous person is still alive, then see the answer. The status for Billie Jean King is checked against public sources such as Wikidata and is shown only after you answer.

Facts

Known for: Winning 39 Grand Slam tennis titles and advocating for gender equality in sports
Listed under: Tennis Legends

About Billie Jean King

King won 39 Grand Slam titles: 12 in singles, 16 in women's doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles. She was a member of the victorious United States team in seven Federation Cups and nine Wightman Cups. In 1973, at age 29, she famously won the "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match against the 55-year-old Bobby Riggs. King was also the founder of the Women's Tennis Association and the Women's Sports Foundation. She was instrumental in persuading cigarette brand Virginia Slims to sponsor women's tennis in the 1970s and went on to serve on the board of their parent company Philip Morris in the 2000s. King was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987. The Fed Cup Award of Excellence was bestowed on her in 2010. In 1972, she was the joint winner, with John Wooden, of the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year award and was one of the Time Persons of the Year in 1975. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1990, and in 2006, the USTA National Tennis Center in New York City was renamed the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. In 2018, she won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award.

Text from the Wikipedia article Billie Jean King, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Sentences about life status are left out so the game is not spoiled.

Frequently asked questions

What is Billie Jean King known for?

Billie Jean King is known for Winning 39 Grand Slam tennis titles and advocating for gender equality in sports.

Which Dead or Alive categories include Billie Jean King?

Billie Jean King appears in Tennis Legends.

Is Billie Jean King still alive?

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