(Reuters) -American tennis great Billie Jean King has been honoured with her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. King, a 39-times Grand Slam singles and doubles champion who has become an advocate for social equality, is the first woman to be given a star in the new sports entertainment category. “The important thing […]
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Tennis-American great King gets Hollywood star treatment
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(Reuters) -American tennis great Billie Jean King has been honoured with her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
King, a 39-times Grand Slam singles and doubles champion who has become an advocate for social equality, is the first woman to be given a star in the new sports entertainment category.
“The important thing is, I don’t want to be the last one,” the 81-year-old said.
Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame were previously reserved for those in cinema, television, radio, theatre and music.
King’s star is the 2,807th to be installed on the famous Hollywood strip since the custom began in 1960.
“My family loved music and movies. My mother would have loved this,” said King, the founder of the Women’s Tennis Association and trailblazer for gender equality in the sport.
King’s work to create the WTA and the famous ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match against Bobby Riggs was portrayed in the 2017 movie of the same name.
Unveiling the star during a ceremony, basketball great Magic Johnson paid tribute to King.
“You always fight for what’s right,” Johnson told the tennis player. “You lend your platform and your voice and your time and your money to bring about change.”
Last September, King became the first individual female athlete awarded a Congressional Gold Medal — the highest honour presented by the U.S. Congress — for her ‘courageous and groundbreaking leadership in advancing equal rights for women in athletics, education, and society.’
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Peter Rutherford and Christian Radnedge)