Photo by Focus on Sport via Getty Images

What Muhammed Ali used to tell Billie Jean King every time they met

Originally posted on HITC | By Callum Davies | Last updated Dec 18, 2025 8:09 PM ET

Sport has the power to change lives, and many from that world have certainly striven to manage that.

After all, whilst some athletes are content showing up, earning their cheques and moving on with their lives, others are acutely aware of the huge social burden upon their shoulders.

And, in being gifted the opportunity to use that platform for the greater good, they take it with both hands.

Billie Jean King is one such shining example to have emerged from the tennis world to do so, and so it is no wonder that she struck up a bond with Muhammad Ali, who did the same as a boxer.

What Billie Jean King said about Muhammad Ali

Greatness always recognises greatness within the sporting world.

This is particularly evident with two superstars who transcended their respective sports entirely.

Photo by Greg Doherty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

And, speaking just earlier this year, it was King who took the time to remember Ali, born Cassius Clay in 1942, on what would have been his 83rd birthday.

In celebrating his life, she revealed the conversation they would have every time they met, as she revealed: “When Muhammad Ali and I would run into each other, he would whisper in my ear, ‘Billie Jean, you’re the queen.’ Today, he would have turned 83. Remembering him today and always.”

What made Muhammad Ali so great?

As touched upon earlier, sportsmen and women can transcend the world in which they grew up, if they so choose. All it takes is confidence and a message they spread.

Ali certainly had plenty of stances, and arguably completely shifted the political landscape with his willingness to stand up for what he believed in.

It definitely helped that he was as good as he was, finishing his career having won an Olympic gold medal and three heavyweight championships too.

His conversion to Islam and staunch stance on the Vietnam War made him a global figure, famed for his activism as well as his sporting prowess.

His legacy will live on for generations, as will King’s.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: