Billie Jean King sends a message to a little fan dressed up like her for Halloween
On the occasion of Halloween, an ardent Billie Jean King fan shared a couple of photographs and a short video of her young daughter, who was all dressed up like the legendary player.
The young girl wore white clothes and a large pair of spectacles while holding a wooden racquet like in the old times. In the video, she can be heard saying:
"Hi, I'm Billie Jean King."
Feminist Halloween costume for the win! @BillieJeanKing #TitleIX https://t.co/iUcgwYKY25
As soon as King saw the post, she reacted with a series of tweets. The American icon loved the fan's gesture so much that she even sent across a message in a video, delightfully saying that her Halloween outfit was the best.
"Hi. I loved your Halloween outfit, Billie Jean King. It's the best," King wrote.
@STEMinistDee A little Halloween message from me for the Mini Jean King. 😉 https://t.co/ZEp9Vdz0JD
She then thanked the youngster's mother, who shared the post and tagged King.
"This is terrific! Thank you for sharing this with me," she tweeted.
@STEMinistDee This is terrific! Thank you for sharing this with me!
King was so overwhelmed that she once again reacted to the post a day later, stating that seeing the girl in the costume made her day.
"This little one’s costume made my day," King posted.
This little one’s costume made my day. 🎃🎾🎃🎾
#HappyHalloween twitter.com/steministdee/s…
Even 18-time Grand Slam winner Chris Evert could not resist reacting to the post as she wrote:
"Priceless."
twitter.com/steministdee/s…Priceless 😂👏 twitter.com/steministdee/s…
King's accomplishments on the court are not the only reason she is hailed by the tennis world even today. The fact that the icon fought the authorities off the court, whether it was equal pay for men and women or equality in general, made her a hero among the rest of the players.
"Larry is the one who made me a feminist" - Billie Jean King once spoke about ex-husband Larry King
Billie Jean King married sports promoter Larry King in 1965, three years before she turned pro. However, the couple parted ways in 1987. King, who came out of the closet after a long time, married former player Ilana Kloss in 2018. Speaking on an episode of SportsCentury in 2001, the American legend revealed that it was her husband Larry who made her think about gender equality.
"Larry is the one who made me a feminist," King said. "We're walking hand-in-hand just right by the tennis courts and he says, 'You know you're a second-class citizen. You're the best-known person in the school, you're the best athlete in the school and you can't even get a grant to Cal State L.A. because you are a girl.' That solidified for me, just absolutely, total clarity came upon me because of what Larry said. He absolutely cleared up all this bubbly inside of me and I went 'BOOM'."