At Cal State LA’s Graduation 2026, tennis legend Billie Jean King just got her degree, and served up a message for life

Graduation season is in full swing — and at Cal State LA’s commencement ceremony on Monday, May 18, one special graduate stood out amidst the crowd: Billie Jean King.

Walking across the stage in her cap, gown, iconic hot pink glasses and blue Adidas sneakers, the 82-year-old tennis legend accepted her diploma, more than 60 years after beginning her studies at the campus.

The ceremony, inside the Shrine Auditorium, was among a series of Cal State LA ceremonies this week honoring 6,000 students. Monday’s displayed the typical pomp and circumstance: students dressed to the nines, the hoots and hollers of proud family members and rows of hopeful graduates listening intently to the remarks of their fellow graduate.

And there was King, not your typical graduate. Smiling. Her graduation stole proudly draped on her gown. “Student” on one side. “Athlete” on the other. She was back for some “unfinished business,” she said.

She was the keynote speaker, with a message for the Class of 2026, forged from an epic career and life:  Among them, “Don’t let others define you. You define yourself,” she said. “Pressure is a privilege, and champions adapt.”

King shared that she was the first in her immediate family to graduate college, a statement many in the crowd of graduates resonated with.

“More than 60 years have passed since I returned to the classroom last year to complete my degree in history. Talk about delayed gratification,” King said. “And I came back with a purpose — I had unfinished business.”

Originally enrolling at Cal State LA in 1961, King had already begun to launch her career into tennis, winning her first title in women’s doubles during the Wimbledon Championships that same year.

She ultimately left school in 1964 to pursue tennis — a choice that led to King’s success, winning 39 Grand Slam titles and holding the World No. 1 female tennis player ranking for multiple years. She won the famous “Battle of the Sexes” match against player Bobby Riggs, one of the most viewed sporting events on television.

Though tennis was the highlight of her keynote address (with a couple of swings of signed tennis balls to the crowd afterwards, to the tune of Elton John’s “Philadelphia Freedom,” the 1975 hit he wrote for her), King later reflected on her parents’ values for education and what she hopes students take away from this big day.

“My hope is that one other person will go back to school,” King said. “If one person just goes back, then that would be great.”

King earned her degree in history on Monday —  a continuation of the history she herself paved throughout her career. As a young female tennis player, King campaigned for equal prize money to her male counterparts. In protest against the disparities in pay, she and eight other women’s tennis players signed a $1 contract with the Virginia Slims Circuit, a tennis tour that served as the predecessor for the Women’s Tennis Association tour.

In 1971, King became the first woman athlete to receive over $100,000 in prize money, but one year later, her prize money at the U.S. open was still $15,000 less than her male counterpart. These experiences contributed to her lobbying efforts and in 1973, King won yet another fight — the fight for equal prize money in the U.S. Open, the first major tournament to do so.

Her legacy off the court is equally impressive; she testified before Congress in support of Title IX, the federal civil rights law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in education, and as one of the first openly gay professional athletes, she has dedicated her life to LGBTQ+ advocacy. In partnership with her lifelong friend, Elton John, she raised millions of dollars in donations for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

“I committed my life to equality and inclusion for all,” King said in Monday’s speech. “Tennis is a global sport, it became my platform —- but equality was my dream to make the world a better place.”

The Long Beach native, who attended Long Beach Poly High School, first picked up a tennis racket at the age of 11 and played actively in the courts off-campus (since Poly did not offer girl’s sports at the time). A life-long learner, she grew up going to libraries when she lived on the west side of Long Beach. In 2019, the Long Beach City Council named the downtown library after her.

“That was a moment I’ll never forget,” King told the Long Beach Press-Telegram about the library in 2023. “Having my name on it in the place where I grew up is one of the greatest honors of my lifetime.”

King was named Grand Marshal for the 2025 Rose Parade. It is one of the many awards and positions she’s held over the years — International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee, a Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor.

For King, completing her degree at Cal State LA was just as valuable.

“Being back to where I started, it means a lot to me,” King told reporters. “Because I had a lot of people wanting me to go to other schools to finish and I said, ‘No, I want to come back here. It’s important to me.’”

In her final remarks, King captured the crowd’s excitement, citing the words of labor rights activist, Dolores Huerta, “Si, se puede! Yes you can!”

Camelia Heins is a correspondent with the Southern California News Group.