"Angel City FC are so fortunate to have her in their team" - Billie Jean King heaps praise on Madison Hammond, the first native American to play in the NWSL
Tennis legend Billie Jean King showered American soccer player Madison Hammond with praise on Tuesday.
The 24-year-old Hammond made history in 2020 by becoming the first native American athlete to play in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). She made her debut in the NWSL with OL Reign in 2020 before switching to Angel City FC (ACFC) in March this year.
King took to Twitter to praise Hammond while also sharing a link to her interview.
"Madison Hammond (@gohaamm) is the first Native American to play in the #NWSL& @weareangelcity is so fortunate to have her on the team. This is a terrific interview about her dreams, her role as a trailblazer, and what her heritage means to her," she tweeted.
Madison Hammond (@gohaamm) is the first Native American to play in the #NWSL & @weareangelcity is so fortunate to have her on the team.
This is a terrific interview about her dreams, her role as a trailblazer, and what her heritage means to her. twitter.com/soccerbible/st…
Angel City FC officially began plying its trade in 2022. With Los Angeles Sol folding in 2010, ACFC remains Los Angeles' only professional women's soccer team. The team has many high-profile owners, including American singer and actress Becky G, Hollywood stars Natalie Portman and Eva Longoria, American retired professional soccer player Mia Hamm, and tennis legend Serena Williams.
On October 21, 2020 the club announced additional members to their ownership group, including tennis legend King, two-time Olympic basketball gold medalist Candace Parker and Olympic alpine skiing gold medalist Lindsey Vonn, among others.
We need everyone to invest in women’s sports. @ilanakloss & I are proud to stand as members of the #AngelCityFC ownership group.
Our mission is to create change on & off the field, & to give some of the best female athletes the chance to play on the LA stage.
Let’s go! https://t.co/FNNR8R0MXX
"Angel City's mission to make an impact on- and off-the-field, and to provide an opportunity to some of the best professional female athletes in the world to play on a stage as powerful as Los Angeles, sends a strong message to young girls in the community and beyond," King said in 2020.
"We had such a wonderful time"- Billie Jean King on USTA Girls’ 18 & 16 National Championships
Bille Jean King has been a keen supporter of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Girls’ 18 & 16 National Championships. The 12-time Grand Slam winner can be seen regularly in the stands.
After wrapping up the tournament, King took to Instagram to congratulate all the winners and spoke about the wonderful moments she spent at the tournament.
"That’s a wrap @ustagirlsnationals. We had such a wonderful time at this event. Congratulations to all the winners. Now, it’s time for Denny’s," the caption read.
The USTA Billie Jean King Girls' 16 & 18 National Championships, as it is officially called, is a premiere hardcourt tournament for under-16 and under-18 amateur and professional American girls.
Since its inception in 2010, the USTA has granted free wildcard entries to the US Open for its U18 singles winner. In the singles U16 category, the winner receives a wildcard to the main draw of the US Open junior main draw.
This year, fourth seed Eleana Yu won the summit clash of the U18 event by defeating seventh seed Valerie Glozman 6-3, 7-5. Ninth seed Alyssa Ahn took home the U16 singles title following her 6-2, 6-3 win over Christasha McNeil.