Sports Icon Billie Jean King to Accept 2026 Stan Musial Lifetime Achievement Award for Sportsmanship

BARRIER-BREAKING PIONEER OF EQUALITY AND INCLUSIVITY FOR WOMEN IN SPORTS WILL BE HONORED AT NATIONALLY TELEVISED MUSIAL AWARDS NOV. 21 AT STIFEL THEATRE IN ST. LOUIS; TICKETS ON SALE TODAY

Key Takeaways:
• Billie Jean King joins exclusive list of legendary sports figures who have received the highest honor for sportsmanship.
• King will accept the award in person, alongside others who have demonstrated extraordinary sportsmanship, in nationally televised show Nov. 21 in St. Louis.
• Tickets are on sale today through Ticketmaster for the Musial Awards presented by Maryville University.

ST. LOUIS – July 22, 2026 – Billie Jean King’s list of accomplishments both on and off the tennis court is mind-boggling. As a competitor, she has won everything there is to win. As a tireless champion of fairness, she fought for equality and opportunity for women in sports and in life. Yet the accolades have never been about herself. For her excellence and class on the court, combined with selfless drive in achieving a more equitable and accessible sports environment across the world, King is this year’s recipient of the Stan Musial Lifetime Achievement Award for Sportsmanship.

She will accept the highest honor for sportsmanship at the 2026 Musial Awards presented by Maryville University on Nov. 21 at Stifel Theatre in St. Louis. The Musial Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes iconic sports figures who have embodied class, dignity, generosity, integrity, and excellence throughout their lives and careers. Previous recipients include Kristi Yamaguchi, Bob Costas, Bill Bradley, Albert Pujols, Wayne & Janet Gretzky, Hank Aaron, Bart Conner & Nadia Comaneci, Jim Thome, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Cal Ripken, Jr., Arnold Palmer, and Joe Torre.

So many firsts came because of King’s intrepid advocacy for equality and dignity for women in sports. Whether on the tennis court or as a catalyst for inclusivity, King carried herself with respect, integrity, and virtue, inspiring change to a more level playing field for women and girls everywhere.

“Billie Jean King exemplifies the qualities the Musial Awards celebrate, and we’re ecstatic she will be with us in St. Louis to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for Sportsmanship,” said Marc Schreiber, president of the St. Louis Sports Commission and the National Sportsmanship Foundation, which produce the Musial Awards. “Billie Jean is a shining example of being a fierce and fair competitor on the court, and a determined leader in paving the way for so many to have equal opportunity to participate in sports. We’re honored to have the chance to celebrate her for the courage and fortitude she has shown in opening doors, driving progress and making the world a better place.”

The Musial family expressed: “Our family is thrilled Billie Jean King will be accepting the Musial Lifetime Achievement Award. We have long admired her commitment and dedication to equality, opportunity and fairness, and Stan would be so proud to know she is receiving this honor. At the heart of Billie Jean’s transformational impact on sports and society is something very important to all of us: a passion and aspiration for people to be kind and good to each other. We are so pleased to recognize her many triumphs as an athlete and humanitarian at the Musial Awards. She is indeed most deserving of the award that stands for class, character and sportsmanship.”

Among her many accomplishments in a career that earned her entry into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, King won 39 Grand Slam singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles, including a record 20 Wimbledon championships. She was the year-end No. 1 ranked women’s tennis player in the world six times. In international team competition, she was on the winning U.S. team seven times at the Federation Cup – the World Cup of women’s tennis. The Fed Cup was later renamed the Billie Jean King Cup in her honor. Through it all, King demonstrated conviction, vigor, and morality befitting a role model of her stature.

One of the most consequential and influential professional athletes in history, King is best known for beating Bobby Riggs in a made-for-TV tennis match called the “Battle of the Sexes” in 1973. Riggs was a self-proclaimed chauvinist who had stated the women’s game was inferior to the men’s – and King accepted his challenge to prove him wrong. The match was viewed by 90 million people worldwide; no tennis match before or since has been seen by so many.

At the height of her competitive years and popularity, in 1973, King founded the Women’s Tennis Association and as the organization’s first president, successfully lobbied for equal prize money for men and women at the U.S. Open – which became the first major tournament to offer a matching purse to champions of both genders. King founded the Women’s Sports Foundation in 1974 to advance the lives of women and girls through greater access to sports and physical activity, and to protect the sports provisions of Title IX. In 2014, she started the Billie Jean King Foundation, a non-profit creating an equitable future through sports, education, and activism.

“It is an incredible honor to be named this year’s recipient of the Stan Musial Lifetime Achievement Award for Sportsmanship,” said King. “Sports teach you character, they teach you to play by the rules, they teach you to know what it feels like to win and lose – they teach you about life. As a lifelong fan of Stan Musial, and because of what this award stands for, this recognition is among the most meaningful of my career and life in sports.”

King has been honored with other pinnacle awards and is the first woman athlete to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the United States’ highest civilian honor, and the first individual woman athlete to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

The nationally televised Musial Awards annually celebrates the year’s greatest moments of sportsmanship and those in sports who exemplify class and character. It is named for St. Louis Cardinals legend Stan Musial, a beloved baseball icon and civic ambassador, who was the ultimate good sport. This year’s event takes place on what would have been Musial’s 106th birthday.

Musial Awards tickets – which go on sale today through Ticketmaster – range from $15 to $50. In addition to individual awards show tickets, the Musial Awards offers a special VIP Experience ticket, which includes an orchestra level seat, a pass to the Musial Awards After Party and reserved parking for $150. More information and a link to purchase tickets is available at MusialAwards.com/tickets. Groups of 10 or more can take advantage of special group pricing by calling 314-345-5144.

The Musial Awards will air throughout the country on CBS in December. This is the eighth consecutive year the network is broadcasting the event.

The full lineup of 2026 Musial Awards honorees will be announced in October.

MORE ON THE MUSIALS:

The Musial Awards presented by Maryville University is produced by the St. Louis Sports Commission and the National Sportsmanship Foundation, a charitable nonprofit organization. In addition to keeping Stan The Man’s legacy alive, the mission of the Musial Awards is to encourage kindness, selflessness, integrity and civility in sports and society – and to inspire people across the nation to be good sports. The event has occurred in St. Louis since 2005. Maryville University has served as the presenting sponsor since 2011. The school’s involvement, leadership and generosity have helped make the Musial Awards the most inspiring night in sports®.

Download Billie Jean King Photos & Musial Award Assets Here