Forbes named Billie Jean King to this year's Innovator 250 List, recognizing her as one of the country's greatest living innovators at No. 208.
Unveiled February 11th, this list honors transformational business leaders and entrepreneurs. It is part of a year-long Forbes campaign to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States.
Forbes cited King as having "catalyzed women's professional sports" through the founding the WTA. In 1970, King was one of nine players — known as the Original 9 — who signed symbolic $1 contracts to establish the Virginia Slims Tour, the predecessor to the modern WTA.
Three years later, King gathered more than 60 players in London one week before Wimbledon to formally create the WTA. with her peers electing her president.
Few stand as tall in the world of women’s sports as Billie Jean King. The legendary athlete and advocate leveraged her athletic dominance to build a powerful platform for equality, one that she has continued to scale, shattering barriers in sport and society.
— Forbes (@Forbes) February 17, 2026
See where Billie… pic.twitter.com/aQRDKtR5Vn
"Few stand as tall in the world of women's sports as Billie Jean King," Forbes wrote on X.
"The legendary athlete and advocate leveraged her athletic dominance to build a powerful platform for equality, one that she has continued to scale, shattering barriers in sport and society."
Billie Jean King Built Legacy Off and On the Tennis Court
The WTA now spans more than 1,600 players across the tour. In 2025, half of the world's 20 highest-paid women's sports athletes competed on the circuit, reflecting the professional infrastructure King helped build more than five decades ago.
King's influence extends far beyond the tennis court. She currently serves on the advisory board of the PWHL, launched in 2024 with backing from King's BJK Enterprises. She subsequently dropped the puck at the pro hockey league's inaugural game, going on to advocate for rapid expansion.
In 2020, King also joined Angel City FC's ownership group. She continues to play a role in the NWSL team, alongside Natalie Portman, Serena Williams, and other high-profile investors.
The Forbes recognition adds to a long list of King's honors, including a 2024 Congressional Gold Medal.
WTA star Aryna Sabalenka suffered a blow on Sunday, as the world No. 1 fell to Australian ATP player Nick Kyrgios in straight sets at the sold-out "Battle of the Sexes" showdown in Dubai.
"I made a lot of great shots, moved a lot to the net," Sabalenka said following the 6-3, 6-3 loss. "I really enjoyed the show and I feel like the next time when I play him, I already know the tactics — I know his strengths, his weaknesses, and it's going to be a better match for sure."
"Seeing someone as great as Aryna out here, and myself, it truly is a spectacle," added world No. 671 Kyrgios. "I think this is a great moving stepping stone forward for the sport of tennis."
Designed to mirror 1973's iconic "Battle of the Sexes" bout between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, Sunday's matchup received some criticism, stirring up fears it could exacerbate stereotypes surrounding men's and women's tennis.
"The only similarity is that one is a boy and one is a girl. That's it," King told BBC Sport ahead of the event. "Everything else, no. Ours was about social change; culturally, where we were in 1973. Mine was really political. I knew I had to beat him for societal change. I had a lot of reasons to win."
World No. 1 tennis star Aryna Sabalenka is back in the headlines, agreeing to feature in a "Battle of the Sexes" exhibition match against No. 652-ranked ATP player Nick Kyrgios next month.
Taking advantage of a quiet period in the tennis calendar, the pair's showdown will take place at the 17,000-seat Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on Sunday, December 28th.
"I genuinely think that I'm going to win," said Sabalenka, a two-time Australian Open champion and the reigning two-time US Open winner. "I'll definitely go out there and I'll try my best to kick his ass."
The upcoming "Battle of the Sexes" match is organized by Evolve, the agency co-founded by fellow tennis phenom Naomi Osaka, which counts both Sabalenka and Kyrgios as clients.
"This is about respect, rivalry, and re-imaging what equality in sport can look like," Evolve co-founder Stuart Duguid told BBC Sport on Tuesday.
The exhibition's concept mirrors the 1973 world-famous "Battle of the Sexes" match between tennis legend Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs — with King emphatically winning the bout in straight sets.
As for December's iteration, the match will be a best-of-three affair with a 10-point tiebreak, with 2022 Wimbledon runner-up Kyrgios serving toward a slightly smaller court and both participants restricted to one serve each.
"I have so much respect for Billie Jean King and what she has done for the women's game," Sabalenka continued. "I'm proud to represent women's tennis and to be part of this modern take of the iconic Battle of the Sexes."