Billie Jean King pens down an emotional note sharing her vulnerable moments of parental loss with her social media family

The former World No. 1 remembers her mother on her 10th death anniversary with a special post and photo.

Billie Jean King pens down an emotional note sharing her vulnerable moments of parental loss with her social media family

Billie Jean King with her mother (Images via BJK's Twitter)

Former World No. 1 Billie Jean King (BJK) recently took to her social media account on X (formerly Twitter) to share a heartwarming post for her late mother, Betty Moffitt. The 80-year-old American shared an old photo of the two from what looks like King’s playing days. 

King has been one of the most respected names in tennis. Apart from her on-court success, her efforts and fight against the establishment for equal prize money and rights for women players made her quite famous. Having come out as a lesbian later, she has also advocated for LGBT rights.

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BJK was born to Betty and Bill Moffitt. While her mother was a homemaker, her father served as a firefighter. Her father also played basketball, baseball, and ran track, while her mother was a prolific swimmer. 

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Coming from an athletic family, King had early exposure to sports before picking up the tennis racket at the age of 11, switching from softball. She also has a younger brother, Randy Moffitt, who played as a pitcher in Major League Baseball. 

In her special post for her mother, King recalled how she and Randy used to call their mother ‘The Saint’. She also disclosed the reason for the nickname, which was kept to thank their mother for all of the selfless acts she did for her two kids. 

On February 7, 2014, 10 years ago today, my mother, Betty Moffitt, passed away. My brother Randy and I used to call our dear mother, "The Saint," in recognition of her selflessness and all she did for us. Missing you, mom. Love you.
Tweeted King.

Billie Jean King’s mother had opposed her coming out

BJK had married her husband, Larry King, in 1965, two years after they first met in college. Their marriage ended in 1987, a few years after BJK came clean with her sexual orientation. She was one of the first openly lesbian athletes in the world, let alone in tennis. 

Billie Jean King with her mother
Billie Jean King with her mother (Credits: Philadelphia Inquirer)

The homophobic society back then did not accept this. This led to her losing millions in endorsement deals. With her first partner, Marilyn Barnett, who was also her secretary, filing a case against her, she had to extend her career to pay attorney fees. 

Amid all this, her husband, King, was very supportive of her, despite their differences. But Billie had to face some trouble with her parents. 

I wanted to tell the truth but my parents were homophobic and I was in the closet. One of my big goals was always to be honest with my parents and I couldn't be for a long time. I tried to bring up the subject but felt I couldn't. My mother would say, "We're not talking about things like that", and I was pretty easily stopped because I was reluctant anyway. 
BJK was quoted saying in an interivew.

But over the years, her parents eventually accepted her as she was. Although it came very late, the acceptance was still there. King’s mother, Betty, passed away at the age of 91 with her daughter by her side. 

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