Billie Jean King enrolled in college in 1961, completed graduation at 82 in 2026 and transformed women's tennis in between

Tennis icon Billie Jean King finally completed her graduation at the age of 82 as she collected her Bachelor of Arts in History from California State University at Los Angeles on Monday (May 18, 2026).

King, one of the greatest tennis icons, has a total of 39 Grand Slam titles across singles, doubles and mixed doubles. She is also considered a trailblazer of women's tennis and her famous victory over Bobby Riggs in the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes" is still seen as a landmark in gender parity in the sport.

'It is never too late'

“It's never too late, whatever age you are, whatever your abilities are, go for it if you want it,” she said afterward.

“It means a lot more to me than I thought,” she said afterward. “I am so glad I did it. My hope is that one other person will go back to school.”

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“Being a student-athlete didn't mean I had a scholarship,” she told the crowd. “Financial support wasn't available to women in 1961, even though my friends Arthur Ashe and Stan Smith were both scholarship students on the men's teams at UCLA and USC.” King committed to working toward equality and inclusion for all.

“We can never understand inclusion unless we've been excluded,” she said.

King recalls college time

She initially enrolled at the campus five miles east of downtown in 1961, the same year she won the first of her record-tying 20 Wimbledon titles, this one in women's doubles.

“Things were different then,” she told the students. “Winning a Wimbledon doubles title today is worth close to half a million dollars. In 1961, I think we won a $45 gift voucher to a local store.”

She soon left school to pursue becoming No. 1 in the world, winning 39 major championships, and earning an historic victory over Bobby Riggs in the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes." King helped establish the current women's pro tour while pushing for expanded prize money and opportunities for women.

Despite her many successes on and off the court, King carried a nagging feeling about not earning her degree. She always corrected anyone assembling her biography that stated she had graduated.

“I said, Don't ever say graduated, I haven't earned it yet,'” she said. “I was thinking today, coming over here for the first time, actually, they can say I graduated now.”

Would King go for a master's degree?

“I just turned on the news, and there's Shaq walking across at LSU getting his master's,” she said. “I just think it's wonderful to keep learning.”

(With AP Inputs)