LOS ANGELES — Billie Jean King raised her right arm in triumph. It’s not about winning one more time on the tennis court. This time, she was celebrating earning a college degree 65 years after taking her first class.
The 82-year-old sports and equality icon received her bachelor’s degree in history from California State University, Los Angeles, on Monday, walking across the stage at Shrine Auditorium in hot pink glasses and royal blue sneakers with about 6,000 other members of the Class of 2026.
“It’s never too late. Whatever your age, whatever your ability, if you want, try it,” she said afterward.
King’s black gown was accented with a gold graduation stole customized by a friend. One side had her initials and the word “GOAT,” which stands for Greatest Person of All Time. The other side has a multi-colored tennis racket embroidered on it.
“It means more to me than I expected,” she said later. “I’m really glad I did it. I hope one more person goes back to school.”
Dr. King announced two years ago that he would work toward his degree at the school, where a statue of her stands outside the athletic building. She, like most of the other graduates, is the first member of her immediate family to graduate from college. This school has primarily Hispanic and Latino students.
“Just because you’re a student-athlete doesn’t mean you’ll get a scholarship,” she told the crowd. “My friends Arthur Ashe and Stan Smith were both scholarship students on the men’s teams at UCLA and USC, but there was no financial support for women in 1961.”
Dr. King pledged to work toward equality and inclusion for all.
“You can never understand inclusion unless you are excluded,” she says.
It’s never too late to finish what you start. #2026 class pic.twitter.com/8eHTcevc9W
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) May 18, 2026
At one point, King was interrupted by the sound of a baby screaming on the balcony. “Is it that bad?” she asked as the crowd laughed.
She interrupted her speech with a cry of “Si se puede!” This phrase, which means “Yes, you can!”, was met with cheers and applause from the venue.
Joining student-athletes and school mascots, Dr. King hit an autographed tennis ball into the crowd.
She enrolled at the campus eight miles east of downtown in 1961, the same year she won the first of her record-tying 20 Wimbledon championships. This victory was in women’s doubles.
“Things were different back then,” she told her students. “Today, winning Wimbledon doubles is worth close to $500,000. In 1961, I think I won a $45 gift certificate to a local store.”
She quickly dropped out of school with the aim of becoming world number one, winning 39 major championships and scoring a historic victory over Bobby Riggs in 1973’s ‘Battle of the Sexes’. King was instrumental in establishing what is now the Women’s Pro Tour, pushing for greater prize money and opportunities for women.
What’s the biggest difference between learning in the ’60s and learning today? “It’s much more virtual,” she said. “Oh, we had to go to class. We didn’t always go to class, but we loved talking to the professors and we loved learning.”
Despite all of his success on and off the court, King had nagging feelings about not being able to complete his degree. She constantly corrected those who wrote biographies who said that she graduated from them.
“I said, ‘Please don’t ever tell me I graduated, I haven’t graduated yet.’
Will King get a master’s degree? “I just turned on the news and saw Shaq walking away from LSU with a master’s degree,” she said. “I think it’s great to keep learning.”
