“A day 60+ years in the making!”
Tennis legend and LGBTQ+ advocate Billie Jean King graduated from California State University, Los Angeles, on Monday evening, receiving her degree more than 60 years after beginning her studies. The 82-year-old athlete graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Art History, and walked across the stage alongside 6000 graduates in hot pink eyeglasses, blue sneakers and a gold sash that read “G.O.A.T” at the Shrine Auditorium. She also delivered the keynote speech, reminding her fellow graduates that “it’s never too late.”
King was enrolled at the university in 1961, which was called Los Angeles State College at the time, because the tennis team was run by Scotty Deeds, who coached both men and women. King quickly became an international star, winning championships alongside Karen Hantze. She ended up leaving CSULA in 1964 to devote her time to her tennis career.
Since then, King won a record 20 Wimbledon titles, 13 United States titles, four French titles and two Australian titles, for a total of 39 Grand Slam titles. In 1972, she won the U.S. Open, French Open and Wimbledon to claim three Grand Slam titles in one year. In addition, she revolutionized women’s sports by founding the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the Women’s Sports Foundation. King is also a part-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and a founder of her own foundation, the Billie Jean King Foundation, which aims to eliminate discrimination based on race, gender and sexual orientation in the workplace.
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King returned to Cal State LA to complete her degree in the Spring 2025 semester. According to the LA Times, not finishing college was something that bothered King for years, and she would always correct people when anyone said she hadn’t graduated.
“It means a lot more to me than I thought,” she told the LA Times. “I am so glad I did it. My hope is that one other person will go back to school.”
Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images
Her commencement address on Monday focused on lifelong learning, delayed gratification and using one’s voice for positive change. Reflecting on her childhood, she recalled noticing that everyone at her local tennis club was white. This realization sparked her life’s mission, and she used it to remind graduates that “we can never understand inclusion unless we’ve been excluded”.
The tennis legend took to X on Tuesday morning to express her gratitude and pride for her most recent accomplishment.
“It is never too late to learn, to grow, or to chase the dream that still quietly calls your name. Life has a way of rerouting our paths and asking us to begin again when we least expect it,” she wrote.
A day 60+ years in the making.
It is with great pride and so much gratitude that I share with you that I am a college graduate with a Bachelor's in History from @CalStateLA.
There aren't words adequate enough to encapsulate all that I am feeling in this moment, so I'll simply… pic.twitter.com/Al9uBTFejw
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) May 19, 2026
Many fans and friends congratulated King on this exciting milestone, commenting on how inspirational and important her message was.
“Wow, now you are inspiring people in a whole new way!” a fan commented. “Congrats! 🧑🎓.”
“Your message is so important,” an X user wrote. “Education is freedom. Congratulations Ms King!!!”
“Congratulations! You’re awesome and a fabulous role model,” another wrote. “Glad you got it done!”
“Congratulations! You are such an inspiration. We share the same birthday and I love history and tennis too, they’re my passions. ❤️🎾🏛️👩🎓,” a fan commented.
“You have been inspiring me for forever,” a user expressed. “What an amazing accomplishment. So proud of you – congratulations 🍾🎈🎊🎉.”
Even her longtime friend, Maria Shiver, who is a writer and former First Lady of California, reposted a CBS News feature on X, writing, “Billie Jean King continues to inspire me and I know millions of others. Congrats, my friend 👏.”
“Whether you’re 18 or 82, your goals are still worthy of pursuit,” King concluded in her post. “Keep going for it. Keep believing in yourself. And never let anyone convince you that your moment has passed. Because sometimes the most meaningful victories arrive after the longest journeys.”
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