'Forbes' tabs Billie Jean King one of America's greatest living innovators
King was named to the list for having "catalyzed women’s professional sports with the Women’s Tennis Association."
A timeless tennis legend is being honored by Forbes in celebration of a milestone birthday for the United States of America. The publication has named Billie Jean King as one of the United States' greatest living innovators.
King is No. 208 on the Forbes' Innovator 250 List, a celebration of "the business leaders, founders and entrepreneurs who aren’t just inventors, but have transformed entire industries and created new ones," part of Forbes' year-long campaign commemorating the upcoming 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
King was named to the list for having "catalyzed women’s professional sports with the Women’s Tennis Association," which she did along with a handful of her peers in 1973. It was just a few years after King and the rest of the Original 9 inked a $9 contract to start the Virginia Slims Circuit, a precursor to the modern WTA, and set women's professional tennis on course to be the force for equality in sports and beyond that it is today.
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"Few stand as tall in the world of women’s sports as Billie Jean King," wrote Forbes on X, formerly Twitter. "The legendary athlete and advocate leveraged her athletic dominance to build a powerful platform for equality, one that she has continued to scale, shattering barriers in sport and society."
King's honor comes four years after she was named to Forbes' 50 over 50 list, and four months before she is set to receive the Glenn Burke Award, which "honors individuals whose courage and authenticity have shifted sports culture."