sandwich. he tore off a corner of it, a piece of bread. he ate it, and he gave the rest to his dog. they've taught me a lot too. i'll close by saying this. 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 . > what's it t like b being jean king?g? >> i have nono idea. i i think since i was young, i mean i told mymy motheher at 7 mommmmy, mommy, , i'm goining t something great with my life. i know it. i can n feel it. >> beingng billie jean king mea knowing frfrom the beginningng wawas destineded foror greatnes >> i knew the first time i went off to get frereezeze instrtruh in lonong beach, i i knew at t d ofof that sessssion i wantnted the number one tennis player in the world. >> how old were you? >> i was 11. that was only the second time i picked up a racquet. >> she quickly fell in love with the sport but also quickly noticed deep inequitities in tennisis that reflecteted the s about the e worlrld. >> a at t 12, i i was s playing los angeleles tennis c club. all the e big tournanaments wer there.e. i was s sitting g in t the stan kind of dadaydreaming.g. it wasas kind of late in the afafternoon. i starteted realizining wore wh shoes, w white clolothes, playe with whihite balls.. everybodody who plplayed was wh. and i asked myself, where is everybodody else? where'e's everybodody elsese? that wasas the momenent i dedec woululd championon equalitity tt of my life.. but i knew tennis would allow me to havave that opportuninity if coululd be good enough. >> s so your driveve to be a te champion went hand in hand witi your dririve to be an activist? >> absolutelely. whatat it is, , is a platfororm. but at 12, i envisioioned anand visualalized the p platform beb i i knew tenennis s was s globo wawanted to trtravel. but my pararents, , we didn't h the moneney to allowow us to t lilike that. so that t was alsoso a driving forcrce, that i woululd hahave d a way. my parents couldn't do it even if they wanted to. mymy dad wasas a firefighterer. my mother was a a homemaker at e 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 feel to be the new champ? >> i'm very exexcited. right t now i can hahardly beli i'veve won, and d i prprobably realize e it until tomororrow. > telell me aboutut the racq. the new yorkrk historicacal sos ststores artififacts of what ma her great for future generations to see. >> clark and i were the first players to use t this inin 1967 the u.s.s. nationanals, , whiche u.s.s. open.n. and d i wowon, b but this s is . one ththing you don't t want to is hitit your -- god, i hit t m knee o one time onon a slice backhandnd. >> billie e jean king of americ is seeking h her third consecute singles title. >> she became ththe top-raranke femalele plalayer r in the 1960 used her fame and inflfluence t speak k out, s struggling toto convince the underpaid women players to organize and create an association with bargaining power. more on that later. this is saved from the most watched match of her life. in fact, one of f the momost wad mamatches everer in tennis. . >> thahat's the e program atat king/riggsgs match. that was a actually ththe magaz >> that't's someththing. > the epic tennis match betwn 29-year-old billie jean king and 55-year-old bobby riggs, a former u.s. national and wimbledon champion turned self-promoting hustler. the 1973 event, , 50 years a ag wowould be forevever known as " battlele of the e sexexes." >> we e announced itit after wimbledodon, and t then n it wa and running.g. evererybody was talking ababout. peopople had p parties.. theyey had the -- the betting g las vegagas was s out ofof sigh. everybodody was involved.. it's a amazing becausese i thihr the first t time some people stopped and thought about their own gender. how do they relate to the e oppoposite g gender? >> here e the blue sneakers mad justst for her. >> i saiaid d i need a colored for ththe next year becacause w have t television,n, andnd i it cololor nonow. i played witith blue s shoes in kiking/riggs m match. > did you h help desisign it? >> i i helped as far as ---- >> besesides the color?? >> i i helped -- what i did is called up adididas, , and d i w to -- - i sasaid, , may y i coc toto the factory? so i w went over.. they werere in shohock. theyey s said, what? no a athlete as ever wanted to come here. i said, well, i do. i went through the whole factory and thanked each person. >> that is also part of being billie jean king, connecting with people no matter who they are or what they do. seeing them as equal, whwhich i also part of herer s strategy t win.n. >> it t was the daday befofore matctch. i went a and met e everyone e a arena,a, at the astrtrodome. i met the administrarators. i i met ththe securirity guardr becacause what c can happen, if get lost in an arerena, ththat not gogood. and thatat happens a all the tif we havenen't plalayed d there b >> herere comes billie j jean k >> a massive television audience, 90 million people worldwide watctched as s she ma drdramatic entntrance onto the court. >> i didn'n't see the king/rigg match until 25 yeaears a after match. >> realllly? >> yeah, and i wish i i had see it, thouough, bebecause itit w clear in 197973 where e we're e howard c cosell talked about on mymy l looks. > very atattractive y young anand sometimemes you get the feeling that i if she ever let r hair grorow down t to o her sho anand took herer glasses offff, hahave somebodody vyvying for a hollllywood screreen test.t. >> onlnly my looks.. he talked about bobby'y's s -- knknow, what he'd done, , like of famerer, all his accomplishshments, rightht? > one hasn'n't seen in evide the fafamed bobby riggggs s lob mumuch tonightht, genene. >> so when i watch howard d cosl 25 years l later, yeyeah, i don 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 femala athlhletes and women f far beye sports. > i'm trying toto helelp wow women'n's sportsts, and evevery really. i was likeke tototally focusede. i knew it t was onone momentnt to help p change thehe hearts a minds ofof peoplple, a and why n those? itit's a greatat opporortunity. that's's how i looked adadd d i. like i w want ththe baball. gigive me the ballll. give me e the ball. i i love t this. whenen i walalked ouout there,e going toto serve and vololley, then i decideded i wasn't gogoio justst serve andnd volleley. i wawas jujust going t to run ho the grground. he undererestimated d me, , whi what he e said when he jumumped net. >> she beat riggs in three straight sets, suddenly catapulting her, she says, to the forefront of various social justice movements. weeks after the match, she at a u.s. senate subcommittee about the proposed women's educational equity act. >> i just related my own personal experiences as a child, the conditioioning that we go through as a girirl that wanant be an atathlete. >> so much h happened in 1973. >> yes, it's a a huge pivotal yr for me personally and for the sport of tennis. > you were named associated press female athlete of the year. you started the women's tennnni asassociation n 50 years ago. > mm-hmm. you knknow what i'm rereally pr of as an athlete, thouough? i won all three at wimblbledon. i won the singles, doubles, and mimixed. and thatat doesn't h happen ver often.n. you u don't win three titleses ththe majojors very ofoften, o say slslams today.y. >> comoming up -- > are you h happy on the cou today? > yeses. >> when an up anand comingng yo chamampion bumpsps into one e o idols -- > if billie says something, u have to remember. >> and we get to witnessss it. >> you know what you're e doing well nowow? your contatact p point. > and laterer - -- >> i thought about it because everyone wanted me to. i get peoplele comoming up to m saying, i i wish you'd'd run fo office. being billie jean king means hahaving this iconic tennis cenr 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.s tennisis associatition presisid > we're goioing 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. congratulalations. >> that's s so nice. >> now y you drive up onon the highghway and it says bjk tenni center. >> you never know. just keep trying to do the right thing. >> we were with her just as this year's u.s. open was startrting. she showed us whwhat the stadiu looks likeke from a playayer's t of view. >> this is w where you g go o asashe s stadium. >> at ththe enentrance of arart asashe stadium, centre c court ththe u.s. open, a a plalaque we ofof her famous sayiyings. tetell me abouout the sisign. tell me about thisis saying.g. >> "prpressure is a privililege" this hapappened during fed cup, which is world cup of f women's tennisis in las vevegas. > it just popopped into your head?? >> that't's what happens with m. that's thehe way i do a lot of stuff. i just lovove it because it's s so -- - it's so trtrue. it just t reminds me personalll it's such h a privilegege to be this sportrt. >> as we're talking, t the newe phenenom in women'n's tetennis, gauff,f, walks off the court afr practice. >> hello. >> and i quote you all the time. >> youou do?o? >> i say p pressure is a privile all the time. >> at this moment, the 19-year-old tennis prodigy had won multiple wta t titles but n yeyet the u.s.s. open. >> i've memet t her a couple ti and d my favororite wawas at t billie jeaean king cup t this y. and you u said howow much it wa honor to repreresent your count and that we shouldld carry ourselelves accordiningly. > yeah, t that's good. sesee? this i is what youou love about young ones. they remember! coco particularly. >> if billie says something, you have to remember. . >> n not really.y. >> gauffff's respect a and adadmiration f for king isis pa. >> i i saw youou hittiting e ea >> i lovove hitttting. > one of ththese days i i ha hihit with you. > oh,h, n no. no, ththese kids are too gooood. >> i i'm sure you'llll be e all. >> youou h hit t too hard.d. >> i c can slolow it down if y needed. >> you know whwhat y you're doi reallyly well now? >> what? >> youour contntact point. >> yeaeah, i've been wororking it. ththank you. ththanks, billllie. >> g good luck, okay? one baull at a time. >> this is all because of you. we appreciate it. >> coco gauff would go on to w n her first t u.s. o open titltle weeks lateter. >> c coco gauff!f! >> canan you put into words s w it's likike to competete a as y for soso many years atat thehe t levevel of your sporort? > i just t love t to play.. i lolove to hit t the ball. i still do. it's magicalal. >> butut i like to hit t the ba and d i'm not a championon. >> i like to p perform too. the tennisis court i is ouour r. i see a a tennis court in anany place inin the world, i i just a cocourt, i getet pumped.d. i go, thatat's our s stage. > you're obobviously playing win, but you're e playing g fort you u call the aududience. >> correctct. >> whihich it wowould nevever oo me. > oh, reaeally? >> that you woululd be seeeekin yourself a as a performer.r. >> oh, absolutelely, since i i stararted. oh, absosolutely. >> walkingng through t the hall champions, she e explains whwha takes to b be one. these picturures are like you, championons. >> t there's connonors, ses, alalthea g gibson. >> what dodoes it take to be a chamampion? >> godod has to gigive you theh > you said d you figurered o earlrly the difffference betetw bebeing a chamampion and e ever else is the abability toto liftr game w when you'rere under the greatest pressurure? >> t that's trueue. the champions,s, the great ones ththey'll be p playing along. but whwhen it gegets tightht i matctch, there are certainin po you haveve to win, and that's wn 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 to be total focus and commitmentnt, like i i migight visusualize i'm m going toto set wide, cocover the line. >> you see it? > i s see it before i i d do. and there'e's total l commititm > despitete her otherworlrld acachievementsts and icocon sts > hey, coach. hi, , dad. how are you? >> -- being g billie jeaean kin approachabable, genuininely ininterested i in others s she especicially youngng people.e. >> hi.i. what's h happening?? >> n nice meetining g you. >> nice meeteting g you too. >> she's's singingng the antheh >> d didn't t you u sing it sos elsese? >> at billie j jean king cup. > i remember r you. you u were u unbelievablble. >> t thank you s so mumuch. >> d do you singng too, or do y lilike s something else?e? what do you like? > dococtor. >> what? > dococtor. > wow, excellent.t. go for it, okay? jujust be e happppy, o okay? >> shehe's echoioing her p pare advice. . >> my parentnts were grereat. they werenen't helicopopter r p, you u know.. i sesee it all the time wiwith kidsds. >> oh,h, sure. >> they wawant theheir chihild nunumber one a all thehe timime. i'm m like give them some space yoyou know?? justst let them be who they'rer going toto be,e, butut be suppo. of c course i'm justst reiterat what my parents did, so i got lucky. >> it worked out for you. for a chamampion like kiking, happinesess can be complicatate duduring competitition. you u say winning isis elationo thenen relelief, butut losining is w what you'rere trying to av >> i h hate so papainful. >> but youou're trying t to ava lolosing more e than -- - >> m more ththan w winning almo >> t the euphoriria of winning. >> therere's a b big parart of sosometimes, absolutelely. the pain nevever realllly y goe. peperformance e is very flfleet. like whehen you're holdingng th trophyhy up, u.s.s. open, , or tournanament, on t the tour or anythingng, on the w wta t tour such a pririvilege to be holold itit up. but it's gone. it's just whoo in the wind forever. >> which is why despite racking up 39 grand slam singles and doubles champipionships, includg a a record 20 0 titles at wiwimbledon ---- >> i m made a very conscscious choicece when i wawas quite you that i k knew i wowouldn't win mamany titles,s, but i wanteted change t the sport.. soso you have toto decide becau you'u're not going to win asas if you s spend time off the cou trying t to change thingngs. >> u up nenext, what billilie j king leaearned in her fifight f eqequal prize e money herere at u.u.s. open.n. >> youou can dreamam a all you . you've got to be in for the long game. you have to be patient, per citizen tent. >> and later, the now 80-yeaear-old is o open abouout. > i havave experienenced d aw too. > really? >> yeah, a and it't's not fun. >> how so? >> just people kind of giviningp on you. they don't't think youou're any good.. being billie jeaean king is beining the facece of equal pay tennis, literalllly. >> o oh, my gosh. . >> that't's prpretty cool.l. >> it isis tototally cool. >> and t they're allll o over r place e here. > i can't't get away. i got to c close my eyes. >> her imamage on poposters all ovover, mamarking g a pipivotal ananniversary,y, 50 years s of prizize money fofor women at th u.s. o open, parart ofof a missr equal pay y she rememberers ini exexcruciatingng d detail. >> tennis bebecame professioionn 1968. whwhat that memeans is i i finat momoney. i usused to get t -- we useded a per dedem of $14 a day. we took tennis from amateurism to being a professssional sport > serves. it's out. billie jean has done it again. for the third time, her name goes on the huge plate. >> in 1968, rod laver won wimbledon.n. he got 2 2,000 poundnds. i won n wimbledon n and got 750 popounds. and i had fofought so hardrd, , lot ofof us had fougught s so hr professisional open tennis.. finanally we havave it, and the get t this cheheck.. whatat is it? 37.5% ofof what rod lalaver got. i go, that's g going to be anonr challengnge now. i wewent, oh, no. my heart sank when i got that check. 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. but we j just -- you knonow, i back, and we're just so lucky, so fortunanate that wewe had pe who wantnted this toto happen a were able -- >> but was it luck? >> well, i think it took a lot of -- i don't know. i don't know if it's luck or not. i think k we all wororked hardr. here are t the three things s w decideded for the e future, and wta, whichch is the wowomen's ts assosociation, t three yearsrs also we kekept i it. we adopteded it, okakay? number one, the rereason we e w doing all we w were doining g wt any girlrl bororn in t this s w she were g good enouough, , shee a a place toto compepete. numberer two, , we wouould b be apappreciated d for our accomplilishments, n not only o looks. and d number three, obviouslsly wewe're going g to make a livin playining the spsport we love. >> you jusust said s something , again, womomen today take for granted.d. >> oh.h. >> youou wanted toto make a liv. the notionon of a womaman mamak living was anathema in society. >> oh, it was huge. >> there's nothing better for a human being to be able to get paid for playing the sport well. we are entertainers. we are performers. and i think k a lot of thehe gi have changed for the better in that they have a lot more personal pride. they feel, i've done i it. i didn't havave to a ask mom a d for the money. i didn't have to ask a group for the money. i did it because i played well. i earned that money. >> then it was the u.s. open. you led the idea of pushing for, for the vevery firirst time ata u.s.s. open, pay equitity. >> i i w was in a a meeting cone afteter i wowon in 1972, and i'n $10,000, and ealy na stassi from romaninia had won $25,000.0. this hadad been goining g on fow yeyears now. i'i'm gettining really s sick o. a lot ofof us were. so i i blulurted out, , we're e coming bacack. this s stinks. we're nonot comiming b back. i hahaven't realally talalked t girlrls yet, which is s true. i'm m thinking, oh, my god, i ie what i'm sayining is trurue. i said, , we're nonot comingng f wewe don't getet equal prize m . i i went and talalked to differ peopople i knew, differentnt compmpanies, andnd saiaid, woul invest thehe money that it w wo take to mamake the dififference we bototh have equalal prize m next year? anand they dididn't blow me ofo which h i i thought they might.. and eventutually briststol-myer cameme back to m me e and said, wawant to covever the e whole t ourselveves. you cocould have b blown me e o. thenen 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 wimbmbl, bibilly talbert anannounced we' gogoing to havave equal prize m atat the u.s. . open. . >> that t was the first t time ? >> firirst timime. 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 you. oh, my goodness. >> you're an inspiration for us all. >> thank you, billie, for fighting for this. >> just standing there at the u.s. open, 50 yearars after yoy led the fight for equal pay, and to have a 19-year-old african american woman get a $3 million check and to thank you -- > it was awesome e because ts whenen you know w you did d the ththing, that it was wororth it > you defininitely madede wa which is y your popoint. but t my i impression n is that trtried to be prettyty p practi >> extreremely p practical. . >> w why that?t? >> it's nonot going to work.k. yoyou can dream all you want. you've gotot to be in fofor theg game. yoyou hahave to be patientnt, persrsistent, apappreciate e ea persrson that tatalks to you, , ththeir needs s are.e. what d do theyey wanant? you're goingng to o ask k for r something,g, you b better r kno sides -- o or all sides. ththere might t be more e than sides. bubut it's importantnt to underd whenen you want t someththing, arare they g going to get out o? >> t that's your winnining stra, isn'n't it? > well,l, everybobody wins t. yes, a absolutely.y. it's's business.s. actively l listening is realall art. i ththink about t that everyry wake up. i go, reremember to listen activevely. not just l listen. acac activeve ly liststen. >> t that's s like a mantra?a? >> yeah,h, i think a about it e day.y. >> whyhy? >> b because i think to o underd somemebody else,e, i have e to listenen to o themem. it's aboutut them. it's n not about me.e. it's about them. and d i want to o know a about . that's w what makekes life intereresting. >> not eveverybody is s that intereststed in otheher people. > well, youou know whatat i peopople? if y you're not ininterested i anand you thinink somemeone's b that meaeans you're e not askine righght questionons. i'm sayiying that to you, , whis 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 league. >> and for tennis, what a saturday night! >> and it was a pretty exciting evening as you're going to see. i know how excited i was. >> when we started world team tennis in '74, it's men and women on the same team. everything is equality. >> chris evert to serve in this super tiebreaker. gool agong hits wide. the super tiebreaker is even at four apiece. >> she became the player coach for the philadelphia freedoms, which her friend elton john wrote a song about. >> elton and i went to one of his concerts. we were inin the back seat of t car. he l looked d at m me and d sait to w write a sonong for you.u. i didn't't think i heard him. i said, , what, , what, whwhat?? he g goes, w what do we e call ? hohow about ifif we call it philadelphia freedom? i said, that would be a great gift to the people of f phililadelphia.. that wouould be unbelilievable. it would b be likeke a an anthe. hehe g goes, okay. hey, berninie e tataupin, i'm w a song for billie jean. we're calling it philadelphia freedom. i need you to write it. ♪ because i'm livin' freedom ♪ ♪ it's philadelphia freedom ♪ >> in 1975 "philadelphia freedom" went to number one. ♪ coming up, the truruth about he sexuality when billie jean king was outed. >> i losost everythihing overni. i know it was the right thing to do at the time. >> back when she was on top of the tennis world, being billlli jean k king meant kekeeping sec. you had an abortion. >> 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 h hard d decision t to an abortioion as a a mararried ? >> foror me, no, not then. i'd d asked larry for r a divor. i ststill wanteded the divorce.. he w wouldn't gigive it to m me. i did not want to bring a baby into this world d in this mess. i did not want to do that. >> it was pre-roe v. wade. in her home state of california, abortion was legal but not an easy prorocess. you called it humiliating. whwhat happened?d? > i hadad to go in frfront o memen, mayaybe, and two women.n. theyey had to o vote on wheteth could haveve an n abortion o or. i started to walk into this room. i cocould hear larry b behind m going,g, this is a absolutely y ridiculolous that yoyou have to 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 prprinted her name on a list of famousus women whoho h had abor >> larry told them to go ahead and do it. i was furious with larry on that. he did not ask me. >> it was her first secret that her parents learned about in the press. the second, that she was g gay. how hahard wasas it toto hide y sexual o orientationon for so m yeyears? >> i i didn't know what my s se orientatation was. i never imagineded beingng attrd to a w woman, , evever. and so whehen i ststarted to be started, l like, w what's goini? i was already married to larry. he was my guy. i loved him. >> but soon she found she was attracted to women, grapplpling with who s she t truly w was an coululd happppen if ththe world >> i was told if i said anything, that there would not be a tour. >> not just for her but the entire women's tour could collapse if its brightest star, one of its founding membmbers, s a lesbiaian. you u were literalally tolold, come out - -- - >> n no tour. >> - -- no tour.r. but t no t tour, what that meae the mission n of your lifefe, equality, , your tenninis, andn pepeople who rely on youou -- - >> and support us too. yeah, they're going to go awaya >> youou obvioiously thougught they w were right,t, t that t td have h happened. >> they were pretty adamant about it, yes. they madade it real simple. i'i'm not gogoing to talk about. nono way, to anybobody. i mean a few people knew, but i tried not to talk to anybody. 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, and unfortunately, somemeone in my y life d doesn'k it's very sacred. >> what wawas thatat momenent l whwhen you realilized, in your words,s, that you u were outute? > it was terriblele. i knew my y life w would changn forever. my life would be more difficult forever. it was. >> she admitted to the affair but not her true sexual 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 s was a longng, long ha for meme, , a lolong r ride. and when i i was outed in '81, lost everything overnight. now today i'd be celebrated. >> not then. she lost millions in endorsement and marketing deals. >> i was going to sign one very, very big contract with a clothes company during the same week that the lawsuit came out. they called and said f forget t and d then a fewew other onenes 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 a alana klauaus. >> alana andnd 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 alana sat down for an interview on an hbo special. >> it was a scary time. i think, you know, billie jean was still married. i was starting to be in her life. >> they were together for 39 years before they were able to make it official in n 2018. >> i'll have people come up p t me andnd say, i i got marrieied yesterday,y, and they'y're l li years old, and i'm going yes. you know, a gay couple or whatever. thatat would nevever have hahap then. >> she's s still closese to her ex-husbandnd, larrrry. >> you're e god parents s to y ex-husbandnd's children.n. >> yeses. >> he wants you u to be happy. >> he wantnts me to be h happy, yeah. he always thought i should have children. he's probably right. >> so did her mother, whom she descscribes as supportivive but traditional. you were kinind of a people pleaser, partiticularly wiwith parentnts. >> v very much so. too mumuch so. i knew t they'd be i in a lot o pain, and d they were -- especialally my mother. i i always knenew she wantnted be with a a guy.y. like go o back to larry or thih will c change, andnd yet she sai sesee how muchch hapappier you withth alanana. hehello? i gogo, yes, mom, that's's t th it i is. soso she was so hahappy for me way. but i could see her trying to figure this out her whole life. >> years of hiding and lies took a totoll. she dedeveloped d an eating didisorder. >> it doeses have e effects ono and it h had effffects o on me, defininitely. > you said d you had d stoma issues?? >> i i had stomamach issueues. i i had trououble e sleeping. i can really sleep, so i knenew something was wrong. >> you t think thahat your eati disosorder is a reresult of you hiding? >> oh, for sure.e. hihiding, not t accepting mymyse way i am, wondering who i am, all those things, sure. the ththing that i want is to b honestst really wiwith peoplple. thatat's it. be hononest, o open, t truthful that's not easy sometimes. i mean i went through the times i couldn't be, and i just hated it. >> at age 51, she checked herself in to the renfrew center for eating disisorders. >> i went to renfrew for six weeks in phihiladelphia. i still haveve the same therapi. it was a great expxperience. every momorning i'd wake up,p, say,y, i have e an e eating dis >> w what is youour eating disi? > i'm a a b binge eater.. so w when i i bingnge, i get fa. i don't t purge.e. >> thihis is s something you st struruggle with?h? >> i do o it e every day, surer. every singngle day i wake upup thinkiking, okay. just t try t to eat right. but i don't want to get obsessed with it either. i'm just like an alcoholic. >> thank you very much. >> when we come back, one dream she nevever pursrsued, at lelea yet. did d you coconsider using the platfoform? >> y 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 evevery day, sasaying "i wis you'd rurun for offifice." these days, being billie jean king means taking time to mark all that she's accomplished. >> bring down this house for the wta founder, billie jean king. >> it's been 50 0 years sincnce created the e women's tennis assoc 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 tomorrow. >> milestone celebrations. >> so thank you so much,h, evereryone. >> andnd >> whehen this airirs ---- > i wilill be 80. >> you will l be 80. how does t that sosound? >> it's a number.. >> h how does it f feel? >> it feels good, except the feededback i getet f from the p is not g great. > how so? >> becausese t they say 80? wow. whoa. and i say that to myself.. likeke god, ththat's -- i i can lilike i couldld. i certrtainly coululdn't -- yoy know, i gogo to the u.s.s. open watch the e players. i go i wononder whatat it t woul like to rurun and feelel the win my h hair agaiain. you know, ththat would be fun. i usused t to have this s shag d run n and i'd feelel t the swea i'i'd feel thehe w wind d blow my haiair. i love thahat 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 meme out during covivid. and d i started hitting tennis balllls again.n. >> h how long had it b been? >> a about 20 yeyears i ththink. >> you hadadn't hit a tetennis ball -- - >> i d don't thihink so.o. i didndn't make it a a l like pe twice ---- >> youou didn't mimiss it? > yes, i did missss it.t. >> why didn't yoyou do it? >> i hadad lots s of k knee opes and shshoulder andnd all that. so i always was just careful. but oh, my god, it was the greatest. i'm so glad elana got me to hit again. >> she actively supports today's athletes in different ways. she and wife ilana are part owners of the l.a. dodgers, of angel city fc, a national women's soccer league team. and now will help run the new women's hockey league. >> my brain's always in the e future. we annnnounced thehe h hockey y in tororonto. wewe just started an ice hockey league. are you u kidding? comeme on, hockekey ---- c can believe e these gigirls? the famimilies were cryingng.. the e girls are crcrying. ththey're so e excited bececaus is a c chance fofor the vevery women in hockey to have a league. it's a huge investment. it's millions and millions and millions of dollars. will we see success in fivive, n years? i i don't knowow. the nhl,l, hockey started d six teams inin 1960. this is 107 years later that the women are going to get their chance and they're starting g wh six originalal teamsms. >> i h heard youou sayay thahat you shouould have rurun for off >> afterer the king-g-riggs mam think everyoyone in the e count prprobably wouould have knknown name. fofor a lot ofof politiciaian t can't get t through ththe cluttf people e even knowining who the are.e. >> is itit somethingng you woul have w wanted to d do? >> i t think if i i did not hah spsports i wouould have gogone school a and definitelely tried be presidedent of the uniteded statates. why not? >> 8 80 isis a apparently not sosomething ththat is didisqual to be e president.t. so that't's possible. >> that's s another ththing. i have expxperienced ageism now too. >> reaeally? >> y yeah. and it's not fun. >> how so? >> just t people have kind of given up on you. they don't think you're any good. >> hard to believe, especially when sifting throughgh more mememorabilia a the at the new historical society. >> that moment. >> presidential medal of freedom. what a day. >> what she did to broaden the reach of the game, to change how women athletes and women everywhere view themselves, and to give everyone, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, including my two daughteters, a chance to compete both on the court and in life. >> and there's the official certificate. >> yeah, the certificate there. >> awarded by president obamaman 200909. >> i h heard y you say thahat w said lgbgbtq -- > yes.. firsrst president ever to mentn it that t i knknow of. do you knonow of anyonone befor that? >> i don't think so. >> so he mentioned our community, and that was important to me. >> especially since she says being gay y quashed anany polit ambitions s of her o own. >> youour sexuxual orientatitiot was holding you back? >> y yes, it wasas h holding me. ththere's no w way. are you u kidding? i wouldn't't have gotttten u up bat, never mind get to first base. no way in n 191970s. are yoyou kidding?g? no way. maybe e i'll have e to startrt ththinking abobout it again.n. i dodon't know.. i ththought ababout itit. >> what do youou know w now thtu wish y you knew 5050 yeaears ag? >> i d didn't knowow who m my y authentic self was. anand now i dodo.. hugege.. >> w what is thehe authehentic f billie jean king?? >> i i donon't k know. bubut i i am gayay. i can atat least -- that much io 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 one of the 2018 new york city pride march grand marshals. >> it just shows what we can do together, how we can h have uni. we havave to keep prpressing. we have e to be vivisible. we have e to be strorong t towa equality.. >> how d do you embrbrace the e posisitive mindsdset that t you about? it's not a an easy thihing to d any forum, especiaially cocompetitive e sports, i woulu think.k. >> we all haveve choices. i i have a c choice. do i w want to b be posititive for it or r do i want to b be negatitive and whahat i considi loser inin life?e? forget spoports or anyny of tha. but i i have c choices. wewe have e choices.s. it's like making t the best of difffficult timemes. i think itit's impmportant a al get help. to asksk for supportrt. i memean, i haveve therapy stil. i've had therarapy m more ththa my life.e. and thatat has helped me more tn ananything, itit's asking for h askingng for suppoport. itit's okay.y. whatatever you feel, it's okay. >> and that helps you stay positive? >> yes. definitely. >> and she's's still looooking aheaead. next y year is thehe goldeden ananniversary y of her womomen' sports foundatioion. >> and t the foundnder of the women's spororts f foundation,n billie jean kiking. > i s started that inin '747. so in '24 it w will be our 50t0 anniversrsary for ththat.. and d i ststarted ththat to giv opportunities.s. we've gigiven out ovover $100 mimillion in g grants at local levevels, which h is where it t starts.. just like i had free accesess i long beach. my brorother had f free access. and we h had freree accessss -- freeee access to courts and to coaching. and without that i would not be sitting here with you. >> youour acaccomplishmements sh that whahat you wowore i is pre behihind glass in n a museum? >> that's a good way of thinking about it. i like that. i dodon't know. it's pretty awawesome. >> do o you think legagacy? do you t think what t do i want legagacy to be? > i do think abouout it, but for vevery long bebecause i i t everyoyone's goingng to decicid my l legacy is. i i think pepeople decidide wha legacy is,s, don't you?? >> i i think you c can create - > w well, i'm trying to d do i guesess. i dodon't know. >> whahat do you want itit t to? >> w well, somebebody y that m differerence, i hohope. but i don'n't knknow. i i don't sisit there and talk thinink about mymyself like e t. >> i g get thahat. >> i donon'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 was the catalyst, that was the start of our equal pay fight. >> i started to learn abouout busineness, and ththat's the greaeatest gift i've hadad in s ways to help change thingsgs bebecause i i try y to telell o athleteses when theyey talk to ththey go whatat should i know profofessional a athlete, whwha shouould i do? i say learn n the business. learn n what your r owner oror promoter, , whoeoever's doing g tournamement or teamams ---- i care whahat it is. lelearn n the busineness. understatand what ththeir challs are,e, not j just ouour challel. >> a and whyhy is s that? >> becauause playersrs always k they want t morere. you guys, we're all inin 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 proclaimimed for herseself as ay young girl. to be a tennis champion and to use that success to be an advocate for equality. >> bring all of yourself to everything you d do. >> 70 0 years lateter her goals the same. >> i want to be a champion in life, on and off the court, in every way. >> happy birthday! >> good evevening.. i lilike a good d hero. ththe whole cacast and crerew o "a"aquaman: ththe lost kiningdos too. and yoyou're aboutut to meet a e buncnch of them. some of their inspiring stories