Published to TIME on February 20, 2020
When Billie Jean King was growing up, Barbie dolls didn’t even exist yet; the popular brand debuted when she was 15 years old, well on her path to becoming a trailblazing tennis legend, as King told TIME.
But today, the Barbie brand is honoring King as one of their new Inspiring Women dolls, complete with an outfit, tennis racket, glasses and sneakers based on the gear she wore when she famously won the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” against Bobby Riggs — a moment that confirmed her place in sports history.