Fun Facts About Billie Jean King
- Billie Jean King is a three-time World Series champion as a part owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, winning in 2020, 2024, and 2025.[1]
- King's friend Elton John wrote "Philadelphia Freedom" for her, and it became a number one hit in the US in 1975.[1]
- King switched from softball to tennis at 11 because her parents wanted her to find a more "ladylike" sport, and she saved $8 of her own money for her first racket.[1]
- King's younger brother, Randy Moffitt, pitched in Major League Baseball for 12 years.[1]
- King's 1973 "Battle of the Sexes" win over 55-year-old Bobby Riggs drew 30,492 spectators and an estimated 90 million TV viewers in 37 countries.[1]
- In 1972, King became the first female athlete ever named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year.[1]
- Billie Jean King was alive at the same time as H.G. Wells — their lives overlapped for 3 years (1943–1946).[1][2][3][4]
- Billie Jean King shares a birthday with Charles de Gaulle: both were born on November 22.[1][2][5][6]
Billie Jean King, also known as BJK, is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. 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.[1]
Read more on Wikipedia →Contemporaries
Their World
Questions About Billie Jean King
When was Billie Jean King born?
Billie Jean King was born on November 22, 1943, and is alive today.
How old is Billie Jean King?
Billie Jean King was born on November 22, 1943, and turns 83 on November 22, 2026.
What is Billie Jean King known for?
Billie Jean King is known for: Tennis champion, gender equality advocate. Billie Jean King, also known as BJK, is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. 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.
Who was alive at the same time as Billie Jean King?
Billie Jean King's closest contemporary was Noam Chomsky. Their lives overlapped for 83 years.
Sources
- Billie Jean King — Wikipedia. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Billie Jean King (Q54527) — Wikidata
- H. G. Wells — Wikipedia
- H.G. Wells (Q42511) — Wikidata
- Charles de Gaulle — Wikipedia
- Charles de Gaulle (Q2042) — Wikidata
- Portrait: Billie Jean King at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival 02 (cropped).jpg — Wikimedia Commons. Claire Fridkin / WikiPortraits, CC BY-SA 4.0