an act of kindness can change your day. change someone's day. an act or gesture of kindness can change somebody's life. thank you. [ applause ] >> what a night. we want to thank everybody for joining us. thank you, laura. >> oh, my goodness. thank you for holding my hand. that was beautiful. can you imagine the level of generosity to say give back immediately? this tells you why we do this. thank you so much. you can support all of our honorees right now by going to cnnheroes.com and click "donate." each donate will be met dollar for dollar. if you know someone as amazing as tonight's honorees, you can nominate them to be a cnn hero in 2024 because officially, anderson, nominations are now open.

>> we hope that some of these stories have inspired you to get involved and do your part because you, too, can be somebody's hero. thank you and good night. [ cheers and applause ]

what's it like being billie jean king? >> i have no idea. i think since i was young, i mean i told my mother at 7, mommy, mommy, i'm going to do something great with my life. i know it. i can feel i it. >> being billie jean king means knknowing from the beginning sh was destined for greatness. >> i knew the first t time i we off to getet free inststructionh in lonong beach, i i knew at t d of thahat session n i wanted t the numbmber one tenennis playe the worlrld. >> h how old werere you? >> i was 1 11. that w was only ththe second t

picked up a racket. >> she quickly fell in love with the sport but also quickly noticed deep inequities in tennis that reflected the same about ththe world. >> at t 12, i was s playing ata los angegeles tennisis club. all the big tournamements were therere. i i was sittining in the s stan kindnd of daydrereaming. itit was kind d of late inin th afternoon.n. i started d realizing g wore wh shoes,s, white clolothes, playa withth white balalls. eveverybody whwho played w was . and i i asked myseself, where e eveverybody elelse?? whwhere's evererybody elsese? that w was the momoment i decic wowould champipion equalitity tt of my life. but t i knew tenennis would d ae to h have that opportunityty if could d be good enenough. > so your d drive to be a te champipion went hahand in hand yoyour drive t to be an acactiv? >> absololutely.

what it is, is a platftform. but atat 12, i envnvisioned ana visualalized the p platform beb i i knew tenninis was globobal, wawanted to trtravel. but my pararents, we d didn't h the money to allow us to travel like that. so thahat was also a a driving force, t that i would d have tod a way. my pararents couldn'n't do it e if they wanted to. my dad was a firefighter. my mother was a homemaker at the time. >> it wouldn't take long for her to become a champion when at 17 years old, she and her 18-year-old partner became the youngest doubles team to win a wimbledon title. five years later, she was a wimbledon singles champion. >> billie, i think everybody would like to know how does it feelel to be thehe new champmp? >> i'm verery excited.d. right now i can n hardly beleli i'i've won, anand i probabably realize e it until t tomorrow. >> telell me aboutut the rackek.

the new york historical society stores artifacts of what made her r great for r future genenes to see. >> c clark and i were the e fir playayers to usese this in 1 19 the u.s. n nationals, , which ie u.s. o open. and i wowon, but thihis is stee. one e thing you dodon't want to is hit y your -- god, , i hit m knee one time on a slice backhand. >> billie jean king of america isis seeking herer third consece singles tititle. >> she bececame the top-p-ranke female playeyer in the 196960s used her fame and influence to speak out, struggling to convince the underpaid women players to organize and create an association with bargaining power. more on that later. this is s saved fromom the most watched d match of h her life. in fact, o one of the e most wad mamatches everer in tennisis. >> thahat's the prprogram at t kingng/riggs matatch. ththat was actctually the e mag >> thahat's someththing. >> the epic tennis match between

29-year-old billie jean king and 55-year-old bobby riggs, a former u.s. national and wimbledon champion turned selflf-promotingng hustler. the 191973 event, , 50 years a woululd be forevever known a as battle of f the sexes.s."" >> w we announceced it afterer wimbmbledon, andnd then it w wa and d running. everybodody was talklking about. people h had partieses. they had t the -- the e betting las s vegas was s out of sight. evererybody was involveded. it's a amazing bececause i thihr ththe first time s some peoplel stopopped and ththought abouout own gegender. how do they relate to the opposisite gender?r? >> here e the blue s sneakers m just foror her. >> i s said i needed a colorede for r the next y year becaususe have telelevision, a and it's i

color r now. i plplayed with h blue shoeses kingng/riggs matatch. >> did you help design it? >> i helped as far as -- >> besides the color? >> i helped -- what i did is i called up adidas, and i went to -- i said, may i come there to the factory? so i went over. they were in shock. they said, what? no athlelete has evever wanted cocome here. i said, wewell, i do.. i went t through thehe whole fay and ththanked eachch person. >> that t is also papart of bei billie jeaean king, coconnectin with peoeople no matatter who t are e or what ththey do. seseeing them m as equal, , whi also parart of her s strategy t win. >> i it was the daday before t match. i i went and m met everyonone a arena,a, at the asastrodome. i memet the admiministratorsrs.. i memet the secucurity guardrds because what can happen, if you get lost in an arena, that is not good. and that h happens allll the tif we havaven't playeyed there beb >> here cocomes billieie jean k > a massive televevision audience, 90 million people worlrldwide watctched as shehe dramaticic entrance onto the court. >> i dididn't see ththe king/ri matctch until 2525 years aftfte

mamatch. >> realllly? >> yeaeah, and i w wish i had d it, , though, bebecause it w wa cleaear in 1973 3 where we'r're howard cososell talkeded about my looooks. > very attrtractive yououng anand sometimemes you get t the feeling ththat if she e ever ler hair grorow down to o her shoul anand took herer glasses o off, have somomebody vyining for a hollllywood screen test. > only my l looks.. he t talked abouout bobby's s - knowow, what he'e'd done, lilik of famer, , all his accomplishshments, rigight? >> o one hasn't t seen in evevi the e famed bobbbby riggs lolob much tononight, genene. >> so when i watch howard cosell 25 years later, yeah, i don't like it because he is exactly what we're trying to get rid of, and he was doing it 100%. >> the battle of the sexes would become a huge moment for female athletes a and women f far beyo sports. >> i'm tryrying to helelp women women'n's sports, and everyone really. i was like totally f focused. i knew it t was one momoment i to helelp change t the hearts a

minds s of people,e, and why n n those?e? itit's a greatat opportuninity.. thatat's how i l looked add d i. lilike i want t the ball. give m me the ballll. gigive me the e ball. i i love this.s. when i walked out there, i was going to serve and volley, and then i decided i wasn't going to just serve and volley. i was just going to run him into the ground. he underestimated me, which is what he said when he jumped the net. >> she beat riggs in three straight sets, suddenly catapulting her, s she says, to the e forefront t of variousus justice e movements. weeks s after the e match, she e at a u.s. senate subcommittee about the proposed women's educational equity act. >> i just t related mymy own pepersonal expxperiences a as a, the coconditioningng that we g throrough as a g girl that want bebe an athlete.e. >> so muchch happened in 1973. >> y yes, it's a huge pivotal lr

for me personally and for the sport of tennis. >> you were named associated press female athlete of the year. you started the women's tennis associatioion 50 years ago. >> mm-hmhmm. you know w what i'm really prou of as an athlete, though?? i won alall three atat wimbledo. i i won the sisingles, dououble mixed. and ththat doesn't't happen vev often. you don't t win three e titles the majojors very ofoften, or t say y slams todaday. comingng up -- >> arere you happypy on the coc todaday? > yes. >> w when an up p and comingng champion b bumps into o one of idolols -- > if billieie says somemethiu have to o remember. >> and we get to witness it. >> you know what you're doing well now? your contact pointnt. and d later -- >> i thought about it because everyone wanted me to. i get people coming up to me saying, i wish you'd r run for office.

being billie jean king means having this iconic tennis center in flushing meadow, home of the

u.s. open, named for you. >> i still cannot believe it! >> she remembers her shock getting the news from the u.s. tennisis associatition presided >> we're going to name the center after you. i'm like, i did not hear this right. there's no way i heard that. >> she did, and it happened during a grand ceremony in 2006. >> i hereby officially dedicate the usta billie jean king national tennis center. congratulations. >> that's so nice. > now you d drive up onon th hihighway and d it says bjbjk t center. >> you never know. just keep trying to do the right thining. >> we wewere with heher just ass yearar's u.s. opopen was statar. she showowed us whatat the stad looks like from a player's point of view. >> this is where you go on to ashe s stadium. >> a at the entrtrance of arart ashehe stadium, , centre couour

the u.u.s. open, a a plaque wiwe of her famamous sayingngs. tell m me about ththe sign. tetell me abouout this sayaying >> "prpressure is s a privilege" this hapappened duriring fed cu which h is world c cup of womem tennisis in las vegas. >> it t just poppeped into youo head? >> thahat's what h happens witi. ththat's the w way i do a a lot stuff. i jujust love it becausese it's soso -- it's s so true. itit just reminds me persosonal itit's such a a privilege toto ththis sport. . >> as we're talking, the newest phenom in women's tennis, coco gauff,f, walks off t the court r practice. >> hello. >> and i quote you all the time. >> you do?o? >> i sayay pressure e is a prive all l the time. . >> at ththis moment,t, the 19-yeaear-old tennnnis prodigyg won multipiple wta tititles but yet the u.u.s. open. >> i've e met her a a couple ti and mymy favorite e was at theh billieie jean kingng cup this s. and d you said h how much itit hohonor to repepresent youour c and thatat we shouldld carry ourselves s accordinglgly.

>> y yeah, that't's good. see? this is what you love about the young ones. they remember! coco particularly. >> if billie says something, you have to remember. >> notot really. >> gauauff's respepect and admirationon for king g is palp. >> i sawaw you hittiting earlie >> i l love hittining. >> one of f these daysys i have hihit with youou. >> oh, n no. no, , these kidsds are too g go. >> i'm s sure you'llll be all r. >> youou hit too h hard. >> i can s slow it dowown if yo needed.. >> y you know whwhat you're e d reallyly well now?w? >> w what? >> your r contact popoint. >> yeaeah, i've bebeen workingn itit. thank you. thanks, billie. >> good luck, okay? one ball at a time. >> this is all because of you. we appreciate it. >> coco gauff would go on to win her first u.s. open title two weeks later. >> coco o gauff! >> c can you putut into rdike e for so m many years s at the hit levevel of your r sport? >> i j just love t to play.

i love t to hit the e ball.. i ststill do.. it's's magical. . > but i likike to hit t the and i'm m not a chamampion. >> i i like to p perform toooo.. the e tennis couourt is our sta. i see a tetennis courtrt in any plplace in thehe world, i i jusa cocourt, i getet pumped. i go, that's o our stage. . >> youou're obviouously playini win,n, but you'r're playing g ft you call t the audiencnce. >> c correct. >> which i it would nenever occo me. > oh, realllly? > that you u would be s seek yoururself as a a performer. >> o oh, absolutely,y, since i started. oh, absosolutely. >> walkiking throughgh the hall champipions, she e explains whw tatakes to be e one. thesese pictureses are like e y champions.s. >> thehere's connonors, seles,s althea g gibson. >> what dodoes it takeke to be chchampion? >> god hasas to give y you the >> y you said you u figured ouo

early y the differerence betwew being a chchampion andnd everyo elelse is the e ability toto lir gagame when yoyou're underer th grgreatest preressure? >> thahat's true. ththe championons, the grereat they'll bebe playing a along. but when it gets tight in a match, there are certain points you have to win, and that's when you can raise your game a level. >> what's it like to be a champion, to have -- >> you have to make a commitment before you serve or receive. it's got t to be totalal focus commitmentnt, like i m might visualizize i'm goining to servt wide, cover ththe line. >> youou see it? >> i seeee it beforere i do it. and there'e's total cocommitmen >> desespite her o otherworldld achievevements andnd icon stata >> heyey, coach. hi, , dad. how w are you? >> -- - being billllie jean kik approachabable, genuininely inteterested in n others shehe especiallyly young peoeople. >> hi. whwhat's happepening? >> nicice meeting g you. >> nice memeeting you u too. >> s she's singiging the antheh >> d didn't you u sing it sosom

else?? >> a at billie j jean king c cu > i remembeber you. you u were unbelelievable. >> thank y you so muchch. >> d do you singng too, or d do lilike somethihing else? what do yoyou like? >> doctor.r. >> whahat? >> dococtor. > wow, excecellent. go foror it, okay?y? just b be happy, o okay? > she's echchoing her p pare advicece. >> m my parents s were greatat. they w weren't helelicopter pap, you knowow. i see e it all thehe time witht kids. >> oh, s sure. >> they wawant their c child to number one all the time. i'm like give them some space,e you knknow? justst let them m be who thehey gogoing to be,e, but be susuppo. of coursrse i'm justst reiterat whatat my parentnts did, so o i lulucky. >> it workrked out foror you. fofor a champipion like kiking, happinesess can be c complicate during comompetition. yoyou say winnnning is elalatio then relieief, but lososing, lo is whahat you're t trying to a >> i hate e losing. it's so papainful. > but you'r're trying t to a losising more ththan -- >> more ththan winningng almost

>> t the euphoriria of winninin > there's a a big part t of sometitimes, absololutely. ththe pain nevever really y goe. performamance is verery fleetin. lilike when yoyou're holdiding trophy u up, u.s. opopen, or an tournanament, on t the tour oro anytything, on t the wta touour such a pririvilege to o be hold it up. but it's g gone. it's just whoo in the wind forever. >> which is why despite racking up 39 grand slam singles and doubles s championshships, inclg a rerecord 20 tititles at wimbledon n -- >> i made e a very cononscious choice whehen i was ququite you that i k knew i woululdn't win manyny titles, b but i wanteted change t the sport.. so y you have toto decide bebec you're n not going to win asas ifif you spendnd time off f the trying t to change t things. >> up nextxt, what bilillie jea king l learned in n her fight t equaual prize momoney here a at u.s. opepen. >> you canan dream allll you wa. you've got to be in for the long game. you have to be patient,

persistent. >> and later, ththe now 8080-year-old d is open ababout. >> i h have experirienced ageisw totoo. >> r really? > yeah, andnd it's not t fun >> how s so? >> just people kind of giving up on you. they don't think you're any good.

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(♪♪) the new festive family meal. starting at $24. now celebrating at el pollo loco. being billie jean king is being the face of equal pay in tennis, , literally.y. > oh, my gogosh. >> that't's pretty c cool. >> it t is totallyly cool. >> and t they're allll over the place hehere. >> i c can't get a away. i got toto close my y eyes. >> her i image on poposters all

overer, marking g a pivotal l anniniversary, 5 50 years ofof prize moneney for womemen at th u.s. o open, part t of a missisr eqequal pay shshe rememberers i excrcruciating d detail. >> tenennis becameme professioin 1968. what that t means is i i finallt money.y. i used t to get -- w we used to a per r diem of $1$14 a day. we tooook tennis f from amateue toto being a p professionanal s >> serveves. it's out. billie jean has done it again. for the third time, her name gogoes on the huhuge plate. >> in 1968, rod laver won wimbledon. he got 2,000 pounds. i won wiwimbledon and d got 750 pounds. and i had fought so hard, and a lot of us had fought so hard for professional open tennis. finally we have it, and then i get thisis check. what is s it? 37.5% ofof what rod d laver got. i go, ththat's goingng to be anr challengnge now. i wewent, oh, nono.

my heart sanank when i g got th chcheck. it's just like, oh, no, now i got to fight for this. >> frustration with disparity in prize money would boil over in 1970 when, in protest, king helped lead a revolt. women players announced they were creating their own tournament. they risked it all, signing $1 contracts with the tournament promoter, and then they played. >> we had an eight-woman tournament, and that is the birth of women's professional tennis. but then what? we need a tour. >> weeks later, the start of a professional women's tour was announced. ♪

♪ you've come a long way, baby ♪ >> so we got very lucky. virginia slims came in and made a big difference with the money. bubut we just -- you know, i lo back, and d we're justst so luc so fortunate that wewe had peop who wanteded this to h happen a were ablble -- >> but was it luck? >> well, i think it took a lot of -- i i don't knowow. i don'n't know if f it's luck k not. i think wewe all workeked hard.. herere are the t three thingngs decicided for ththe future, , a wta,a, which is s the women'n'ss associatation, threeee years la alsoso we kept i it. we adoptpted it, okakay? nunumber one, , the reasonon we doing g all we werere doing wawt anany girl bororn in this s wor she werere good enouough, she'de a place toto compete.. number t two, we wouould be apappreciated d for our accomplilishments, n not only o looks.s. and numbmber three, , obviously

we're gogoing to makake a livin plplaying the e sport we l love >> you jusust said somomething , again, women today take fofor grananted. >> oh. >> you wanteted to make a livin. the notion of a woman making a living wasas anathema in societ >> oh, it was huge. >> t there's nothing better fof human being to be able to geget paid for playing the sport well. we are entertainers. we are pererformers. and i thinink a lot of t the gi have changed for the better in that they have a lot more personal pride. they feel, i've done it. i didn't have to ask mom and dad for the momoney. i dididn't have e to ask a g grr the money.y. i did itit because i i played w. i earnrned that money. >> then it was the u.s. open. you led the idea of pushing for, for the very first time at the u.s. open, pay equity. >> i was in a meeting conference after i won in 1972, and i'd won $10,000, and ilie nastase from romamania had wowon $25,000.0.

this had b been going g on for w yearars now. i'm m getting rereally sick k o. a lolot of us wewere. so i blurtrted out, wewe're not coming bacack. ththis stinks.s. we're e not comingng back. i haven't t really talalked to girls s yet, whichch is true. i'm thinkiking, oh, mymy god, ie what i'm s saying is t true. i said, , we're not t coming baf wewe don't getet equal pririze . i i went and t talked to d diff people i i knew, dififferent companieies, and saiaid, would invest t the money t that it wo take to mamake the dififference we bototh have eququal prize m next year?r? and they didn't blow me off, which i thought they might. and eventually bristol-myers cameme back to m me and said, w wawant to cover the whole e thi oursrselves.

yoyou could hahave blown m me o. then i went to billy talbert, who was the tournament director. we have the prize money. i went and got it for you. in july of '73, after wimbledon, billy talbert announced we're going to have equal prize money at the u.s. open. >> that was the first time ever? >> first time. u.s. open is the first of anything i know in this whole world that was equal of men and women. >> in 2023, 50 years later when u.s. women's singles champion coco gauff got the same prize money as the men's winner, a $3 million check, she knew who to thank. >> thank youou. oh, , my goodnesess. >> y you're an i inspirationon all. >> thank you, billie, for fighting for this. >> j just standiding there a at u.s.s. open, 50 0 years afteter led the fifight for eqequal payd to have e a 19-year-r-old afric amamerican womoman get a $ $3 m check and d to thank y you -- >> it wawas awesome e because ts whwhen you knonow you did d the ththing, that t it was wororth

>> youou definitelely made wava which isis your poinint. but mymy impressioion is that y tried d to be pretetty practici >> e extremely p practical. . >> whyhy that? > it's not t going to w work. you cacan dream alall you wantn. you'veve got to be in for the lg game. yoyou have to o be patient, pepersistent, , appreciatete ea personon that talklks to you, , ththeir needs s are. whatat do they w want? yoyou're goingng to ask fofor someththing, you b better knowo sisides -- or r all sides.s. therere might bebe more thanan sidedes. but it's important to understand whwhen you wanant somethining, are e they goingng to get ouout? > that's yoyour winningng st, isn't itit? >> welell, everybobody wins tht. yeyes, absolututely. it's's business.s.

actitively listetening is rerea art. i i think abouout that evevery wake up.p. i go, reremember to o listen actively. not just l listen. activevely listen.n. > that's lilike a mantrtra? >> yeah, i i think abobout it e day. >> why? >> because i think to understand somebody else, i have to really listen to them. it's about them. it's not about me. it's about them. and i want to know about them. that's what makes life interesting. >> not everybody is that interested in other people. >> well, you know what i tell people? if you're not interested in me and you think someone's boring, that means you're not asking the right questions. i'm saying that to you, which is even funnier. >> i'm with you. i love it. as she continued to pursue her tennis career, she and her then husband, larry king, launched several businesses, a magazine, a new sports leaeague. >> a and for tenennis, what t a saturdayay night! >> and it was a pretetty exciti

evevening as you're goining to . i knknow how excxcited i wasas. >> whehen we started world t te tennnnis in '74,4, it's men n a womemen on the s same team.. everythihing is equauality. > chris evevert to servrve i super titiebreaker.. yvonne g goolagong h hits wide.. the supeper tiebreakaker is eve fourur apiece. >> she became the player coach for the philadelphia freedoms, which her friend elton john wrotote a song a about. > elton andnd i went toto on his coconcerts. wewe were in t the back seseat car. he looked at me and said, i want to write a song for you. i didn't think i heard him. i said, what, what, what? he goes, what do we call it? how about if we call it philadelphia freedom? i said, that would be a great gift to the people of philadelphia. that would be unbelievable. it would be like an anthem. he goes, okay. hey, bernie taupin, i'm writing a a song for b billie jeanan.. we'r're calling it "philadelphi freedom."" i neneed you to o write it. ♪ 'cause i i live and b breathe♪ ♪ t this philadadelphia frereed♪ >> in 191975 "philadadelphia freedom" w went to numumber one. ♪ comiming up, thehe truth ab her r sexuality.y. when bilillie jean k king was o. >> i i lost evererything ovever.

i know it was the right thing to do at the time. >> back when she was on top of the tennis world, being billie jeanan king meanant keeping g s. you hahad an abortrtion. >> yes. >> when you were married to larry. >> absolutely. >> it was 1971. she was winning tournaments all over, but her marriage to husband larry king was on the rocks. was it a a hard decicision to h an abortrtion as a married womo? >> foror me, no, n not then. i'i'd asked lalarry for a a div. i still wawanted the d divorce. he wouldn't give it to me. i did not want to bring a baby into this world in this mess. i did not want to do that. > it was prpre-roe v. wade.

in her h home state e of califo, abortionon was legal but notot easysy process.. you u called it t humiliatining. what happepened? >> i hadad to go in n front of men, maybe, and two women. they had to vote on whether i could have an abortion or not. i started to walk into this room. i could hear larry behind me going, this is absolutely ridiculous that you have to go through this. and we had to, you know, find a way that they'd vote that i could have this abortion. >> it became public when a magazine pushing abortion rights printed her name on a list of famous women who had abobortion >> lararry told ththem to go a and do it.t. i was fufurious withth larry on that. he d did not asksk me. > it was heher first sesecre heher parents s learned ababoute press. the second, that she was gay. how hard was it to hide your

sexual orientation for so many years? >> i didn't know what my sexual ororientation n was. i never imagined being attracted to a woman, ever. and so when i started to be, i started, like, what's going on? i was already married to larry. he was my guy. i loved him. >> but soon she found she was attracted to women, grappling with who she truly was and what could happen if the world knew. >> i was told if i said anything, that there would not be a t tour. > not just t for her bubut t entitire women's's tour coululd collapse i if its brigightest s one ofof its foundnding memberes a a lesbian. you wewere literalally told, i come o out -- >> n no tour. >> -- - no tour. bubut no tour,r, what thatat me ththe mission n of your lilife, equality, , your tenninis, and people w who rely onon you -- >> and supupport us totoo. yeyeah, they'r're going toto go >> youou obviouslyly thought th theyey were right, that that wod have h happened. >> they werere pretty adadamant ababout it, yeyes. they made it real simple. i'm not going to talk about iti. no wayay, to anybobody. i mean a a few people knew, bub trtried not toto talk to a anyb.

i had not gone to therapy yet, which i wish i had. >> for decades as she was fighting for equal rights for women, she couldn't pursue a free and open life for herself. then in 1981, a former lover filed a lawsuit making their relationship public. >> tennis star billie jean king admitted today that she had a love affair with a woman now suing her for support. >> i've always felt it's very important that people have their privacy,y, and unforortunately, somemeone in my y life doesnsn'k it's very sacred. >> what was that moment like when you realized, in your

words, that you were outed? >> it was terrible. i knew my life would change forever. my life would be more difficult forever. itit was. >> shehe admitted d to the affa but not her r true sexuaual orientation. >> it's very important to me to especially thank larry because i love him very much. he's my lover, my husband, and my best friend, has been for 19 years. >> this was a long, long haul for meme, a long r ride. and whwhen i was o outed in '8' lost everything overnight. now today i'd be celebrated. >> not then. she lost millions in endorsement and marketing deals. >> i wasas going to sign one v , vevery big conontract withth a s company during the same week that the lawsuit came out.

they called and said forget it, and then a few other ones were drop ed. >> i lost everything but i also gained things. i gained who are my true friends, which is huge. >> when she was outed in 1981, she was already secretly dating fellow tennis player ilana kloss. >> ilana and i started going together in '79 in stockholm. we were both in a tournament. that's when we got interested in each other. >> they did not openly discuss their relationship until 2006, when ilana sat down for an interview on an hbo special. >> it was a scary time. i think, you know, billie jean was still mamarried. i i was startiting to be i in h lifefe. >> thehey were togogether for r yearars before t they were a ab make it ofofficial in n 2018. > i'll haveve people cocome me and s say, i got t married yesterday, and they're like 23 years old, and i'm going yes. you know, a gay couple or whatever. that would never h have happene then. >> she's's still clolose to her ex-hususband, larrrry. > you're gogod parents s to ex-h-husband's c children. >> y yes. > he wants you to be happy. >> he wants me to be happy,

yeahah. hehe always ththought i shshoul children.. hehe's probablbly right. >> so didid her mothther, whom dedescribes asas supportivive b trtraditional.l. you werere kind of a a people pleaser, p particularlrly with parentnts. > very muchch so. too o much so. i knknew they'd d be in a lolot papain, and ththey were ---- especicially my momother. i alwaysys knew she e wanted me be w with a guy.y. like go back to larry or things will change, and yet she says, i see how much happier you are with ilana. hello? i go, yes, mom, that's the way itit is. so s she was so o happy for r m way. but t i could sesee her tryiyin figurere this out t her whole e >> yeaears of hididing and lieik a toll. she developed an eating disosorder. >> i it does havave effects s o and d it had effffects on meme, defininitely. > you said d you had ststoma isissues? > i had stotomach issueues. i had d trouble slsleeping. i can rereally sleepep, so i kn something g was wrong.g. >> youou think thahat your eata disorder is a result of you hiding? >> oh, for sure. hiding, not accepting myself the

way i am, wonderering who i i a all those e things, susure. the e thing thatat i want isis honenest really y with peoplple. that's it.t. be honest, open, truthful, and that's not easy sometimes. i mean i went through the times i couldn't be, and i just hated it. >> at t age 51, shshe checked d herself in to ththe renfrew w cr fofor eating d disorders. . >> i wenent to renfrfrew for si weeks in philadelphia. i still l have the s same thera. it w was a greatat experiencnce. everery morning g i'd wake u up say,y, i have an eatating disor > what is y your eatingng di? >> i'm'm a binge e eater.. so w when i bingnge, i get f fa. i i don't purgrge. >> this s is somethihing you st struruggle with?h? >> i do it every day, sure. every single day i wake up thinking, okay. just try to eat right. but i don'n't want to o get obsd with i it either.. i'm jujust like anan alcoholici >> thahank you verery much.

> when we cocome back, o onm she never pursued, a at least n yet. did you coconsider usising the platform? >> yes. >> that you had to run for office? >> i thought about it because everyone wanted me to. i still get people coming up to me every day, saying "i wish you'd run for office."

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these days, being billie jean king means taking time to mark all that she's accomplished. >> bring down this house for the wta founder,r, billie jeanan ki > it's been 5 50 years sincn created the women's tennis association. [ applause ] >> i'm inspired by every single player who has built on this vision that brought us together in 1973 and the players of today and tomorrrrow. >> mililestone celelebrations.s >> s so thank yoyou so much,h, everyoyone. >> and a milestone b birthday.

whwhen this aiairs -- >> i w will be 80.0. >> when ththis airs ---- > i will bebe 80. > you will l be 80. hohow does thahat sound? >> i it's a numbmber. >> howow does it f feel? >> it feelels good, exexcept th fefeedback i g get from the pub is not great. >> how so? >> b because thehey say 80? wow. whoaoa. and i say y that to mymyself. like godod, that's - -- i can't like i i could. i certrtainly coululdn't -- yoy know, i gogo to the u.u.s. open watch the players. i go i wonder what it would feel

like to run and feel the wind in my hair again. you know, that would be fun. i used to have this shag and i'd run and i'd feel the sweat and i'd feel the wind blow through my hair. i love that feeling. i'm never going to have that feeling again. but i watch the others and i vicariously live through it. i still hit tennis balls, which is magical for me. got me out during covid. and i started hitting tennis balls again. >> how long had it been? >> about 20 years i think. >> you hadn't hit a tennis ball -- nk so. i didn't make it a like practice twice -- >> you didn't miss it? >> yes, i did miss it. >> why didn't you do it? >> i had lots of knee operations and shoulder and all that. so i always was just carefeful. but oh, , my god, itit was the greatest. i'm soso glad elanana got me t agagain. >> she actively supppports todas athletetes in difffferent waysy. she e and wife i ilana are p pa owners of f the l.a. d dodgers, angel cityty fc, a natational wowomen's soccccer league e tea. and now will help run the new women's hockey league. >> my brain's always in the future. we announced the hockey league in t toronto. we jusust started d an ice hoco leleague. are yoyou kidding?g? comeme on, hockekey -- can you believe these girls? the families were crying. the girls are crying. they're so excited because this is a chance fofor the veryry to

women in h hockey to have a league. itit's a huge e investmentnt.. it's millilions and mimillions millions o of dollars.s. will we e see succesess in fiven yeyears? i dodon't know. the nhl,l, hockey ststarted six teamams in 1916.6. thisis is 107 yeyears later r te women arare going toto get thei chchance and t they're statartih six x original t teams. >> i heard y you say thahat may you shshould have e run for ofo > after thehe king-riggggs m think everyonene in the cocount prprobably would have e known i name. for a lot of politicician thez can't get through the clutter of people even knowing who they are. >> is it something you would have wanted to do? >> i think if i did not haveve sportsts i would h have gone t scschool and d definitely y tri be presisident of ththe united states.. why not? > 80 is apparenently not something that is disqualifying to be president. so that's possible. >> that's another thing. i have experienced ageism now too. >> really? >> yeah. and it's not fun. >> how so? >> just people have kind of given up on you. they don't think you're any good. >> hard to believe, especially when sifting through more memorabilia the at the new york

historical society. >> that moment. >> presidedential medadal of freedom. what a day. >> what she did to broaden the reach of the game, to change how women atathletes andnd women everywherere view thememselves, toto give evereryone, regagardl genderer or sexual orientatitio inclcluding my t two daughteter chchance to cocompete bothth on court and d in life. >> and there's the official certificate. >> yeah, the certificate there. >> awarded by president obama in 2009. > i heard y you say thahat w said lgbtqtq -- > yes. first president everer to menti it thahat i know o of. do youou know of a anyone befof thatat? >> i d don't thinknk so. >> so hehe mentioneded our community, and that was important to me. >> e especially y since she e s bebeing gay ququashed any polit ambitionons of her own. >> your sexual orientation, that was holdlding you baback?

>> yeses, it was holding me e b. there's no way. are you kidding? i wouldn't have gotten up to bat, never mind get to first base.. no way in 1970s. are you kidding? no way. mamaybe i'll h have to statart thinking aboutut it again.n. i don't t know. i thought about it. >> what do you know now that you wish you knew 50 years ago? >> i dididn't know w who my auauthentic self was. and nonow i do. huhuge. >> what is the authentic self of billie jean king? >> i don't know. but i am gay. i can at least -- that much i do know. i think i am probably the happiest i've ever been. >> happy to be able to celebrate her sexuality and advocate for others as s one of thehe 2018 n york c city pride e march grana marsrshals.. >> i it just shows what we can together, , how we canan have u. we havave to keep p pressing.. we have e to be visisible. we h have to be e strong towowa eqequality. >> howow do you emembrace the e positiveve mindset t that you t

about? it's n not an easysy thing to o any foforum, espececially competititive sportsts, i would ththink. >> we all l have choicices. i hahave a choicice. do i wanant to be popositive an for r it or do i i want to b be negativeve and what t i conside loser in life? forget spoports or anyny of tha. but i haveve choices. we havave choices.s. it's likike making t the best o difficulult times. i think itit's importatant also get help. to ask for support. i mean, i have therapy still. i've had t therapy morore than my lifife. and ththat has helelped me moron anythihing, it's a asking for r asasking for s support. it's okay.y. whatever you feel,l, it's okaya. >> andnd that helplps you staya posititive? >> y yes. definitetely. >> andnd she's stitill lookingn ahead.d. next yeaear is the g golden ananniversary y of her womomen' spsports foundndation. > and the f founder of f the womemen's sports fououndation, billie j jean king.. >> i statarted that t in '74. so in '24 4 it will bebe our 50

anniversrsary for ththat. and i stararted that t to give opportunitities. we've gigiven out ovover $100 million inin grants atat local levels, whwhich is whehere it a starts. just l like i had d free accese long b beach.. my b brother hadad free acceces. anand we had f free accessss -- free access to courts and to coaching. and without that i would not be sitting here with you. >> your accomplishments are such thatat what you u wore is prpre behind g glass in a a museum? >> that's a good way of thinking about it. i i like that.t. i don'n't know.. it's's pretty awawesome. > do you ththink legacycy? do you t think what t do i want legacy t to be? >> i do ththink about t it, but for vevery long bebecause i tht everyonene's going t to decide my legacy y is. i think k people dececide what

legagacy is, donon't you? >> i thinknk you can c create - >> welell, i'm tryining to do t i guess. i don't know. >> what do you want it to be? >> well, somebody that made a difference, i hope. but i don't know. i don't sit there and talk -- think about myself like that. >> i get that. >> i don't know. what do you want yours to be? >> i don't know either. but i'm not billie jean king. >> yeah. >> she has made a difference in so many lives. inspiring and empowering women athletes and women beyond sports. >> i definitely work towards, you know, getting a fair amount of pay. >> billie jean was a huge inspiration to me, someone that i always looked up to. she is such an icon and she's never stopped working towards equality. >> sitting with billie 30 years ago, and she was explaining how women's tennis broke away from men's tennis, and i said billie, this is our story, what do we do? how do we do this? and she looked at me and she goes, "what are you doing about it? you. you the players, you have the power. go in there and change things." and literally the next day i was flying in to meet with u.s. soccer, the entire national team

was coming together, and we were supposed to sign another $10 a day contract where we got nothing, and we were supposed to be grateful for it. and i said to the team, oh, hell no, because billie told us we couldn't do it. >> what happened? >> and they were like that's right. literally that day meeting billie wasas the catalalyst, th was the e start of o our equal fighght. >> i startrted to leararn about business, , and that's's the grgreatest gifift i've hadad in waysys to help c change thining bebecause i trtry to tell l oth atathletes whehen they talalk t ththey go whatat should i i kno prprofessionalal athlete, , wha shshould i do?o? i say lelearn the bubusiness. learn n what your r owner or y prpromoter, whwhoever's dodoing tournamement or teamams -- i do carere what it i is. leararn the business. understatand what ththeir challs are, not j just our chchallenge. >> and w why is thatat?

>> becausese players a always k theyey want morere. you guys, we're all in this together. what do they need? what do they want? they have to make money too or else we're not going to have these opportunities. >> being billie jean king means fulfilling the destiny she proclaimed for herself as a very young girl. toto be a tennnnis champioion a use that success to be an advocate for equality. >> bring all of yourself to everything you do. >> 70 years later her goals are the same. >> i want to be a champion in life, on and off the court, in every way. >> happy birthday! ♪ hello and welcome to all our viewer