Tennis legend Billie Jean King still using platform to fight for 'a better world'

HOLLYWOOD — Tennis legend Billie Jean King was awarded the Muhammad Ali Legacy Award at the 2021 Sports Illustrated Awards hosted by the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Tuesday.

The award recognizes and celebrates individuals who have dedicated their athletic careers to sportsmanship and using their outreach to make a global impact.

"I knew him so it means a lot more to me knowing him as a person and a friend," King said.

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King reflected on her favorite moments with Ali, having conversations about why it's important to "pay attention to people" not knowing how you can touch each other's lives.

"Just being in the proximity of him, being near him, and being able to look in his eyes and have a great discussion about family, sports, or whatever," King said.

Best known for her contributions as a champion for gender equality and social justice, King founded the Women's Tennis Association in 1973.

King also founded the Women's Sports Foundation, which Ali's daughter, Laila, was the president of from 2011-12.

The winner of 39 Grand Slam titles and the "Battle of the Sexes," King also created World TeamTennis – a mixed-gender professional tennis league and the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative.

However, at age 78, the former world No. 1's work is far from over.

"I'm not finished yet," said King, the first LBGTQ+ recipient of the award since its establishment in 2015.

King says it's "a better world" than she found it, noting that "people can talk about their sexuality now and not get in trouble or lose their endorsements immediately."

Still, King believes that today's athletes have an obligation to use their platforms and become the changemakers for the generations to come.

And some of those legends in the making can be found in Palm Beach County, the home of players like Venus and Serena Williams, Coco Gauff, and Naomi Osaka.

"Oh my God, you guys have some great ones," King said of the county's tennis talent.

King commended Gauff and Osaka for using their voices to spread awareness for mental health, noting that the Williams sisters had specifically voiced to her their desire to make changes for women of color in sport.

"We're really lucky," King said. "We have great people who are trying to make this world a better place and that's what we want for our players – to have this platform in WTA and they've stepped up."

World No. 26 and 2021 US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez, 19, has made the move from Canada to train in South Florida, hoping to join the locals she's surrounded by in being a voice for change like King.

"She's one of the first women who started this journey for all of us," Fernandez said, grateful for the chance to meet her idol at the awards show that evening.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Billie Jean King still using platform to fight for 'a better world'