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.
The business of women's sports is booming, as Forbes confirmed this week in their Most Valuable Women's Sports Teams of 2025 rankings.
The publication reported that 25 women's sports organizations now boast valuations in the nine figures, with an estimated collective worth of $5.6 billion.
The WNBA's New York Liberty tops the list with an estimated value of $400 million, with women's basketball producing the inaugural rankings' five most valuable teams as the Indiana Fever, Seattle Storm, Las Vegas Aces, and Phoenix Mercury also punched at or above the $300 million mark.
Notably, all 12 long-established WNBA teams feature in the Top 25, with only 2025 expansion side Golden State still building into the top echelon of women's sports valuations — though the Valkyries seem a likely future addition to the list considering their record-breaking debut season.
Soccer standouts comprised the other 13 Most Valuable Women's Sports Teams of 2025, with eight NWSL franchises and five European football clubs scoring spots on the Forbes list.
No. 6 Angel City FC and No. 7 Kansas City Current lead the NWSL at $280 million and $275 million, respectively, while No. 8 Arsenal just edged Liga F side No. 7 Barcelona and fellow WSL club No. 8 Chelsea FC to top Europe's contingent with a valuation of $260 million.
Purpose-built arena and training facilities ultimately gave US teams a valuation edge, as many European clubs remain financially tied to their men's counterparts.
All in all, women's sports valuations reflect potential as much as they do current reality, as investors cash in on one of the sector's fastest-growing markets.
Women's sports stars stepped into the business spotlight this week, as standout athletes like 2025 French Open champ Coco Gauff, current WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers, and USWNT star Trinity Rodman landed on the 2026 edition of the Forbes 30 Under 30 List.
Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady, Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston, and Olympic rock climber Brooke Raboutou also made the cut for the US, with Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier named as one of the list's All-Star Alumni.
"Even though I love winning, it took me a while to realize that your life is still going to be your life regardless if you win or lose, and at that point you play freer," Gauff told the publication.
Designed to honor rising talents leading transformative change across business, culture, and entrepreneurship, the featured athletes on the 2026 Forbes 30 Under 30 list are making waves both on and off the field of play.
At 21 years old, Gauff is climbing the WTA's career prize money rankings while also topping Sportico's highest-paid women's sports athletes list, with fellow 30 Under 30s like 23-year-old Boston are investing in NWSL expansion teams.
Elsewhere, 22-year-old Canady signed two consecutive million-dollar NIL deals with Texas Tech, 24-year-old Bueckers has a stake in offseason venture Unrivaled, and 23-year-old Rodman teamed up with Adidas while also negotiating a new playing contract as a free agent.
Forbes tapped the most powerful women in sports this week, ranking the Top 25 players, executives, and others pushing the needle in the ever-growing sports — and women's sports — sector.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark is the highest-ranked athlete at No. 4, joined by Unrivaled co-founders Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart at No. 9, as well as tennis stars Serena Williams (No. 11) and Coco Gauff (No. 13), reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson at No. 15, gymnastics titan Simone Biles at No. 18, and world No. 2 golfer Nelly Korda at No. 21.
Also making the 2025 Forbes Most Powerful Women in Sports roster are tennis legend Billie Jean King (No. 23), NCAA basketball coaching icon Dawn Staley (No. 20), and Las Vegas Aces sideline leader Becky Hammon (No. 22).
Women's sports multi-team owner Michele Kang came in at No. 5, with NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman (No. 7), New York Liberty owner Clara Wu Tsai (No. 10), US Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone (No. 14), and more representing the off-field lineup.
According to the publication, the new annual list honors leaders "who are transforming one of the world's most influential industries, shaping strategy, driving innovation, and expanding the role of women across the sports economy."
Investments, influence, and growth drivers were all taken into consideration, with Forbes also dividing selectees into five categories: owners/investors, business executives, front office leaders, athletes, and amplifiers.