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Tennis pioneer Billy Jean King will add another first to her list of achievements when she became the first woman to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the sports entertainment category.
A graduate of Long Beach Poly High School, King is honored for her work as an executive producer of the 2023 public broadcasting services documentary series, “Groundbreaker.” This included King and other legendary female athletes, Basketball Hall of Fame Nancy Lieberman, two-time Women’s World Cup champions, two-time Olympic Gold medalist Julie Houdai and Jun Lac and Julie Houdai and Cablatt. Four-time tennis singles grand slam champion Naomi Dai, two-time Olympic gold medalist snowboarder Chloe Kim, two-time Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Snissary, Anna Martinez and producers of the Hollywood Walk of Farm told City News Service.
King’s other entertainment credits include being an executive producer of “The Battle of the Sexes,” a 2013 documentary with Bobby Riggs in 1973, portraying the judge in the 2007 episode of the 2007 NBC crime and legal drama “Law & Order,” and is portrayed in episodes such as “Fresh of the Odg,” such as “Behat of the Boat.”
Basketball Hall of Fame Evin Magic Johnson, a companion to the King and Dodgers owning group and longtime friend of King, King’s Oscar-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis, is scheduled to speak to her at the 11:30am ceremony at 6284 Hollywood Blvd., adjacent to the W Hotel.
The star is the 2,807th since the first 1,558 stars were completed in 1961.
At 11:30am on April 7th, sports icon Billy Junking King was the first woman to receive sports entertainment. The ceremony will be held at 6284 Hollywood Boulevard. Near the W Hollywood Hotel. Live stream https://t.co/5ltcby7wzn pic.twitter.com/knibc44eif
– Walk of Fame (@walkoffamestar) April 2, 2025
King is a pioneer of the women’s rights and gender equality movement. In 1970, she was part of the “Original 9” female professional tennis players who separated from the tennis governing body and formed her own professional tour, the Virginia Slim Circuit, which later evolved into the modern Women’s Tennis Association Tour.
King was also one of the founders of World Team Tennis, the first coed professional sports league. She is a member of the Professional Women’s Hockey League Founding Advisory Committee. The league’s most valuable player award was named after her.
King won 39 Grand Slam titles – 12 in singles competitions, 16 in women’s doubles and 11 in mixed doubles. In 1971, King became the first female athlete to earn $100,000 in a year.
King was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987. In 1990, Life Magazine nominated her as one of the “100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century.”
This category was published in 2021 by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. According to fame producer Anna Martinez, it honors individuals who have made a major contribution to the entertainment world and demonstrated the “excellent excellence” of sports.
“Good Morning America” anchor Michael Strahan, who became the New York Giants Hall of Fame defensive end, was the first recipient of the 2023 category. The second recipient was the late Carl Weather, who was best remembered for his nearly 50 years of acting career, whom he remembered best for his portrayal of Sylvester Stallone’s Boxing Nemesis Tullend Fard and Mentor Apollo of the first four “Creeds” Mentor Apollo of Sylvester’s Boxing Nemesis.
Weathers, a graduate of Long Beach Poly High School, also played a linebacker for San Diego State, the Oakland Raiders and the BC Lions in the Canadian Football League before his acting career.
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