The best part is that the star unveiling ceremony gave King a day to be celebrated, which she more than deserves. Among her many accomplishments: raising the profile of women’s tennis in the “Battle of the Sexes” match, fighting for equal pay, falling in love with and marrying her doubles partner Ilana Kloss after being outed against her will and becoming a lesbian power couple for the ages, becoming the first out lesbian coach of the United States women’s tennis team, founding the Women’s Tennis Association and the Women’s Sports Foundation, and getting the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 (another first for a female athlete). Now she and her wife are helping fundraise to get the women’s professional hockey league up and running.
As for the ascendant WNBA, King had the perfect response to those who point to comparatively low viewership numbers. Speaking to Forbes at her star unveiling, King said, “Look how long it’s taken the men. Everyone forgets the history of men’s sports, how long it’s taken, how many failures they had along the way. The NBA almost went under in 1979.”
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – (L-R) Magic Johnson, Billie Jean King and Jamie Lee Curtis are seen as e.l.f. Beauty celebrates King as she becomes the first woman in sports entertainment honored with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star on April 07, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Michael Simon/Getty Images for e.l.f. Cosmetics )Michael Simon/Getty Images
She was joined at the event by Jamie Lee Curtis and Magic Johnson. In his speech, Johnson praised King for using her platform to fight against sexism and racism, and to promote social justice. Curtis, too, highlighted King’s activism and advocacy, starting with how she persevered after losing all of her sponsorships when she was outed as a lesbian. Curtis spoke from a place of deep gratitude; as the mother of a trans daughter in a same-sex marriage, she was visibly emotional recalling how her friend Billie Jean paved the way for future generations to live and love publicly.
Curtis also pointed out that BJK has a signature style: a black or black and white outfit with a string of pearls and a colored jacket that matches her eyeglasses. Here’s the blue version, red version, pink version, lavender version and purple version.
Should we all copy her outfit and take a pic at the star? Yes? Field trip?