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Billie Jean King raised her close limb successful triumph. Not for different triumph connected the tennis court. This time, she was celebrating earning a assemblage grade 65 years aft she archetypal took classes.
The 82-year-old sports and equality icon received her Bachelor of Arts successful History from Cal State Los Angeles connected Monday (May 18, 2026), walking crossed the signifier successful blistery pinkish glasses and royal bluish sneakers astatine the Shrine Auditorium with astir 6,000 others successful the Class of 2026.
“It's ne'er excessively late, immoderate property you are, immoderate your abilities are, spell for it if you privation it,” she said afterward.
King's achromatic gown was accented with a golden graduation stole personalized by a friend. One broadside included her initials and the letters G.0.A.T., referring to top of each time. A multi-colored tennis racket was embroidered connected the different side.
“It means a batch much to maine than I thought,” she said afterward. “I americium truthful gladsome I did it. My anticipation is that 1 different idiosyncratic volition spell backmost to school.”
King announced 2 years agone that she would enactment connected completing her grade astatine the schoolhouse wherever her bronze statue stands extracurricular the carnal acquisition building. She's the archetypal subordinate of her contiguous household to postgraduate from college, akin to the bulk of her chap graduates. The schoolhouse has a predominantly Hispanic and Latino pupil body.
“Being a student-athlete didn't mean I had a scholarship,” she told the crowd. “Financial enactment wasn't disposable to women successful 1961, adjacent though my friends Arthur Ashe and Stan Smith were some assistance students connected the men's teams astatine UCLA and USC.” King committed to moving toward equality and inclusion for all.
“We tin ne'er recognize inclusion unless we've been excluded,” she said.
At 1 point, a screaming babe successful the balcony interrupted King.
“Is it that bad?” she asked, arsenic the assemblage laughed.
She punctuated her code with a outcry of “Si se puede!” The assemblage erupted successful cheers and applause to the operation meaning “Yes, you can!”
Joined by pupil athletes and the schoolhouse mascot, King deed autographed tennis balls into the crowd.
She initially enrolled astatine the field 5 miles eastbound of downtown successful 1961, the aforesaid twelvemonth she won the archetypal of her record-tying 20 Wimbledon titles, this 1 successful women's doubles.
“Things were antithetic then,” she told the students. “Winning a Wimbledon doubles rubric contiguous is worthy adjacent to fractional a cardinal dollars. In 1961, I deliberation we won a $45 acquisition voucher to a section store.”
She soon near schoolhouse to prosecute becoming No. 1 successful the world, winning 39 large championships, and earning an historical triumph implicit Bobby Riggs successful the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes." King helped found the existent women's pro circuit portion pushing for expanded prize wealth and opportunities for women.
The biggest quality betwixt learning successful the 60s and today? “It's truthful overmuch much virtual,” she said. “Gosh, we had to beryllium successful class. I didn't spell each the time, but I loved talking to the professors and I loved learning.”
Despite her galore successes connected and disconnected the court, King carried a nagging feeling astir not earning her degree. She ever corrected anyone assembling her biography that stated she had graduated.
“I said, Don't ever accidental graduated, I haven't earned it yet,'” she said. “I was reasoning today, coming implicit present for the archetypal time, actually, they tin accidental I graduated now.”
Would King spell for a master's degree?
“I conscionable turned connected the news, and there's Shaq walking crossed astatine LSU getting his master's,” she said. “I conscionable deliberation it's fantastic to support learning.”
