Overview
- King, who received her diploma Monday at Los Angeles's Shrine Auditorium, joined about 6,000 classmates in Cal State LA's Class of 2026.
- She joked about the 61-year gap and urged inclusion in her remarks, telling classmates “Yeah baby, only 61 years” and closing with “Sí se puede.”
- After leaving the campus in 1964 to pursue tennis, she resumed remote classes in 2025 when she learned she was a year short of graduating, becoming the first in her immediate family to earn a college degree.
- She wore a personalized gold stole with “G.O.A.T.” and a tennis racket design, then celebrated by hitting autographed tennis balls into the crowd.
- The achievement ties back to a trailblazing career that includes 39 major titles, founding the WTA, and pushing the US Open to pay women and men equally, which she hopes will inspire others to go back to school.