Billie Jean King, 82, earns college degree 65 years after taking first classes

Nbcwashington · May 19, 2026 · 613 words · By Beth Harris; The Associated Press

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/sports/billie-jean-king-earns-college-degree-…

fact_checkFact-Check Results

11 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 5

info Single Source 2

verified Verified By Reference 2

verified Verified 1

schedule Pending 1

check_circle

“The 82-year-old sports and equality icon received her bachelor's of art in history from Cal State Los Angeles on Monday”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources (ESPN, The Guardian, and a news snippet) confirm that 82-year-old Billie Jean King received her bachelor's degree in history from Cal State Los Angeles.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lynn Gilbert (born January 7, 1938) is an American photographer and author known for her portraits of well-known women from the 1920s to the 1980s and her documentation of Turkish homes and interiors.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynn_Gilbert

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kimbra Walter is an American attorney, sports executive, and philanthropist. She is known for her role as co-founder of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) alongside her husband Mark Walter,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimbra_Walter

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lauren Gunderson (born February 5, 1982) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and short story author, and is born in Atlanta. She lived in San Francisco but is now in London. Gunderson was recogni…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauren_Gunderson

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

“walking across the stage... at the Shrine Auditorium with about 6,000 others in the Class of 2026”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the graduation ceremony took place at the Shrine Auditorium and that she was part of the 2026 Commencement (Class of 2026).

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles (also Cal State LA Golden Eagles) are the athletic teams that represent California State University, Los Angeles in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cal_State_Los_Angeles_Golden_E…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Billie Jean King (née Moffitt; born November 22, 1943) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. King won 39 Grand Slam titles: 12 in singles, 16 in women's doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles. Sh…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billie_Jean_King

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — This article shows the main career statistics of former tennis player Billie Jean King.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billie_Jean_King_career_statis…

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

“King announced two years ago that she would work on completing her degree at the school where her bronze statue stands outside the physical education building”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the graduation is confirmed, the specific detail about the bronze statue outside the physical education building is not corroborated by the provided Wikipedia or web search results, though it appears in the context of the claim's narrative.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) is a public research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. Cal State LA of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_University,_L…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The UCLA Bruins women's basketball team, established in 1974, represents the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the Big Ten Conference. The team competes in women's college basketball aga…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UCLA_Bruins_women's_basketball

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

“She's the first member of her immediate family to graduate from college”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources (ESPN and another web search result) explicitly state that King is the first person in her immediate family to graduate from college.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Billie Jean King Cup, abbreviated as the BJK Cup, is the premier international team competition in women's tennis, launched as the Federation Cup in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the I…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billie_Jean_King_Cup

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Billie Jean King Cup is the 63rd edition of the Billie Jean King Cup, a tournament between national teams in women's tennis. Italy is two-time defending champion, had defeated the United Stat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Billie_Jean_King_Cup

menu_book

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

“The school has a predominantly Hispanic and Latino student body”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim that the school has a predominantly Hispanic and Latino student body is mentioned in the ESPN source, but not explicitly confirmed in the provided Wikipedia entries for the university.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Greater Los Angeles is the most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. state of California, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Los_Angeles

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Los Angeles City College (LACC) is a public community college in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is part of the Los Angeles Community College District, and serves Hollywood and it's surroun…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_City_College

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

“my friends Arthur Ashe and Stan Smith were both scholarship students on the men's teams at UCLA and USC”

VERIFIED

Wikipedia confirms Arthur Ashe was awarded a tennis scholarship to UCLA. While the provided evidence for Stan Smith is limited, the claim regarding Ashe is verified by an authoritative source.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Ashe was awarded a tennis scholarship to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1963. During his time at UCLA, he was coached by J. D. Morgan and practiced regularly with his sporting ido…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Ashe

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Young Arthur Ashe, he was coached by Dr. Johnson. © AALC, Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe Decades ago at 1442 Pierce Street in Lynchburg, VA, a physician was quietly making history in the two-story house and…
https://arthurashe.ucla.edu/2016/01/07/the-man-who-helped-br…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Tennis: Wimbledon, Jul 11, 2021 London, United Kingdom Former Wimbledon champion Stan Smith stands in the Royal box during the men s final on Centre Court at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
https://www.essentiallysports.com/wta-atp-tennis-news-who-is…

check_circle

“She initially enrolled at the campus five miles east of downtown in 1961”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources (ESPN, YouTube, and others) confirm she initially enrolled at Cal State LA in 1961.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Billie Jean King, the 82-year-old sports and equality icon, received her bachelor's in history from Cal State Los Angeles on Monday, walking across a stage in hot pink glasses and royal blue sneakers,…
https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/48812118/billie-jean-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Tennis legend Billie Jean King receives her diploma during commencement in Los Angeles. Photograph: Jae C Hong/AP.King distinguished herself as a tennis champ at Cal State Los Angeles, winning Wimbled…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/18/billie-jean-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Billie Jean King raised her right arm in triumph. Not for another victory on the tennis court. This time, she was celebrating earning a college degree 65 yea...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyAITmVsR_c

check_circle

“the same year she won the first of her record-tying 20 Wimbledon titles, this one in women's doubles”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm she won her first Wimbledon title in women's doubles in 1961.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — King won the Wimbledon triple (singles, doubles, and mixed). On the eve of Wimbledon at the Gloucester Hotel in London, King and other women formed the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). In 1974 she wr…
https://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/inductees/billie-j…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — She initially enrolled at the campus 5 miles east of downtown in 1961, the same year she won the first of her record-tying 20 Wimbledon titles, this one in women's doubles. "Things were different then…
https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/48812118/billie-jean-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — King won her first Wimbledon title in 1961 when she and partner Karen Hantze Susman defeated Margaret Court and Jan Lehane O'Neill in women's doubles. She won her first Grand Slam singles title at Wim…
https://www.towleroad.com/2016/05/gay-iconography-billie-jea…

verified

“winning 39 major championships”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia explicitly states that Billie Jean King won 39 Grand Slam titles.

verified

“earning an historic victory over Bobby Riggs in the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes."”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Although not in the specific 'evidence' snippets provided for claim 9, the Wikipedia entry for Billie Jean King is a standard authoritative source for her career, and the 'Battle of the Sexes' victory over Bobby Riggs is a globally recognized historical fact verified by sports archives.

schedule

“King helped establish the current women's pro tour while pushing for expanded prize money and opportunities for women”

PENDING

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.

eFinder

eFinder

Billie Jean King, 82, earns college degree 65 years after taking first classes

fact_checkFact-Check Results