At 82, tennis legend and social justice icon Billie Jean King has achieved a milestone six decades in the making: she is now a college graduate. On Monday, May 18, King walked across the stage at the Shrine Auditorium to accept her Bachelor of Arts in History from California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA), officially closing a chapter that began when the institution was still known as Los Angeles State College.
For King, who became a global force for equality long before she finished her degree, the ceremony was more than a formal recognition of coursework. It was a personal resolution to finish what she started in 1961. After leaving the university three years into her studies to pursue a professional tennis career that would see her secure 12 Grand Slam singles titles and become a seminal figure in the fight for Title IX, King returned to the classroom via remote learning to complete her final requirements.
The significance of the event was not lost on the tennis icon, who celebrated her graduation by tossing signed tennis balls to fellow members of the Class of 2026. “More than 60 years have passed before I returned to the classroom to complete my degree in history,” King said during her commencement address. “Talk about delayed gratification, and 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.”
A Journey Rooted in Equality and Education
King’s path to a degree is inextricably linked to her broader mission of social change. Her commitment to equity began in childhood; she has often spoken of an epiphany at age 12 while at the Los Angeles Tennis Club, where she realized the sport—and the world—lacked the diversity and inclusion she felt were necessary. This realization drove her career, leading her to become a fierce advocate for gender equality and LGBTQIA+ rights. In 1973, she famously testified before Congress in support of Title IX, a landmark federal civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education programs that receive federal financial assistance.
Her academic journey, which she initially believed was two years away from completion before staff research revealed she was only one year shy of a degree, included coursework in historiography and LGBT political history. Her academic pursuits were not just a formality; they were an extension of a lifetime spent analyzing power structures and historical movements. Reflecting on her return to campus, King noted that she never considered completing her education anywhere else but at her original alma mater.
The university has long held a special place in King’s life. In 1997, Cal State LA and the California State University system awarded her an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. Over the past two decades, she has also hosted the “Billie Jean King & Friends” event at the campus, which has raised more than $4.5 million in athletic scholarships, according to university records.
Honoring a Legacy of Resilience
The graduation ceremony served as a powerful testament to the value of lifelong learning. Cal State LA President Berenecea Johnson Eanes praised King’s accomplishment as a beacon for the broader student body. “Her story is a powerful reminder to every student here today, and to generations of Golden Eagles to come, that determination, resilience, and lifelong learning can carry us further than we ever imagined,” Eanes said.
King’s graduation sash served as a visual timeline of her life, featuring the phrase “G.O.A.T. Athlete” on one side and a record of her academic journey: “BJK, B.A. History, Student, 1961-2026.” For King, those dates represented the two bookends of a career defined by both competition and advocacy. Her accomplishments outside the classroom remain unparalleled, including being the first individual female athlete to receive the Congressional Gold Medal in 2024 and receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2009.
The commencement exercises were part of a broader celebratory week at Cal State LA, which is honoring more than 6,000 graduates across nine ceremonies. The university also recognized other community leaders during the week, including Father Gregory Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries, who received an honorary degree, and attorney Omel Nieves, who was scheduled to receive an honorary Doctor of Law.
The Impact of the Class of 2026
Beyond her own degree, King emphasized that the inspiration was mutual. Watching the graduates cross the stage, she acknowledged the diverse and often difficult paths they had traveled to reach their own commencement. “Each person, you don’t know their journey, what they went through, and also what their families went through,” King said. Her presence underscored the university’s commitment to first-generation students, a group to which she belonged when she first enrolled over six decades ago.
The following table summarizes key milestones in King’s long-standing relationship with her alma mater:
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1961 | Began studies at Los Angeles State College. |
| 1997 | Received Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. |
| 2024 | Unveiled bronze statue at Cal State LA campus. |
| 2026 | Conferred Bachelor of Arts in History. |
As the academic year concludes, the university continues to finalize the processing of degrees for the Class of 2026. Official records and transcripts for the spring term are expected to be available through the Cal State LA Office of the Registrar in the coming weeks. For those inspired by King’s return to education, the university remains a hub for continuing studies and professional development programs.
We invite you to share your thoughts on the importance of lifelong learning and how icons like Billie Jean King continue to shape our understanding of perseverance in the comments below.
