Billie Jean King Graduates at 82 After Completing Degree She Left for Tennis Career

Tennis legend Billie Jean King has added another milestone to her remarkable career, graduating with a bachelor's degree in history at the age of 82, more than six decades after leaving college to pursue professional tennis.

King received her diploma from California State University, Los Angeles on Monday, finally completing the final year of studies she began in 1961 before stepping away from academia to focus on tennis full-time.

Billie Jean King had "unfinished business'

Addressing graduates during the commencement ceremony, King reflected on her decision to return to the classroom after discovering she was only one year short of earning her degree.

"Talk about delayed gratification," King said. "I came back with a purpose. I had unfinished business, and it is important to me to finish what I started. I like completing things. It's like shaking hands at the net after a match."

The 82-year-old studied remotely and completed coursework in historical research, writing and historiography, while also examining social movements that she helped shape during her playing career, including LGBTQ+ rights advocacy and the impact of Title IX legislation.

From college student to sporting icon

King left what was then Los Angeles State College in 1964 after already winning her first Wimbledon doubles title. The decision launched one of the most influential careers in sports history.

Over the following decades, she amassed 39 Grand Slam titles, including 12 singles crowns, 16 women's doubles titles and 11 mixed doubles championships.

Her achievements extend far beyond the court. King helped establish the Women's Tennis Association in 1973, spearheaded the fight for equal prize money and became one of the leading voices for gender equality in sport.

She also famously defeated Bobby Riggs in the iconic "Battle of the Sexes" match later that same year, a landmark moment in the conversation around women's sports and equal opportunities.

A degree decades in the making

One of the more unique aspects of King's return to university was that her own achievements became part of her studies. During her history coursework, she wrote about Title IX, the landmark 1972 legislation prohibiting sex-based discrimination in educational institutions receiving federal funding, a cause she actively championed throughout her career.

King told graduates that her commitment to equality stemmed from experiences during her youth, including noticing a lack of diversity at her local tennis club and witnessing disparities between opportunities offered to male and female athletes.

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

The moment carried particular significance for King, who became the first person in her immediate family to graduate from college. She later admitted her only regret was that her parents and brother were no longer alive to witness the achievement.

Yet King said the response from people inspired by her return to education made the accomplishment even more meaningful.

When she announced plans to finish her degree, she received messages from people around the world who had decided to return to school later in life.

"Graduating, it's just thrilling. Really. I'm thrilled because of the way the other people have responded to this," King said. "I thought, 'OK, I'm going to get my degree,' but I had no idea people would be so connected."

After a lifetime spent breaking barriers and reshaping women's sport, King has now completed one of the few goals left unfinished-earning the college degree she put on hold while becoming one of tennis' greatest champions.