Who is Billie Jean King’s wife, Ilana Kloss? All about tennis legend’s family amid historic Hollywood Walk of Fame honor

Billie Jean King has just rewritten history again. The former world no. 1 tennis star just received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 7, 2025, becoming the first woman to receive a star in the sports entertainment category.

Billie Jean King was present at the ceremony alongside her wife, Ilana Kloss. The South African Ilana Kloss, like King, is a tennis star. According to People Magazine, Kloss won the Wimbledon junior’s singles title in 1972, later winning the South Africa doubles title in 1973, 1975, and 1977. People Magazine also reports that in 1976, Kloss had become the world no. 1 in tennis doubles and was the no. 19 player in singles.

According to her LinkedIn page, Kloss is currently the CEO of Billie Jean King Enterprises and is the chair of Billie Jean King Cup Limited. Both King and Kloss became minority owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers, WNBA’s Sparks and Angel City FC, as per Sports Business Journal.

About Billie Jean King’s personal life

Billie Jean King, who stands at the forefront of women’s tennis, is a trailblazer for advocacy of women in sports. Born as Billie Jean Moffitt in 1943, King married Larry King in 1965, as per the tennis star’s website.

King, who founded the Women’s Tennis Association, won 6 Wimbledon singles titles and a total of 39 Grand Slam titles, according to International Business Times. King’s most remembered win, however, was during her 1973 Battle of the Sexes match against Bobby Riggs, which is credited by the New York Times as setting in motion the American “tennis boom.”

All through her dynamic career, King was supported by her husband, Larry, who stood by her side when a scandal broke out after King’s relationship with a woman, her assistant Marilyn Barnett, became public in the 80s. When Barnett filed a lawsuit demanding a huge chunk of King’s earnings after the fallout of her relationship with the tennis star, King and her husband held a press conference together where she acknowledged her relationship with Barnett while expressing gratitude for the continued support of her husband, according to the New York Post.

In the aftermath of being ‘outed,’ King lost a major chunk of her fortune as she lost most of her brand and endorsement deals, as per the same report by the New York Post, which gave an estimate of the amount King lost, which was around $500,000.

According to Philadelphia Magazine, King fell in love with Ilana Kloss, who was her doubles partner at the time. The magazine also noted that King’s marriage with Larry fell apart and the former couple divorced in 1987.

King and Kloss, who have been together since then, married secretly in 2018 in a private ceremony with the former mayor of New York City, David Dinkins, his wife, and an aide present, as per People Magazine. The marriage was only revealed in 2021, when King’s memoir, All In, was published.

According to People Magazine, King explained why she tied the knot with her longtime partner in her book and, while addressing Kloss, wrote,

“Years from now, I never want anyone to question how much I was committed to you.”

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The news outlet also notes that the reason behind keeping the marriage secret was that the couple wanted to shelter this aspect of their private life, considering that they have lived so much of their lives out in the public’s gaze.

In her April 7 appearance at the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony, Billie Jean King seemed to be in high spirits. At 81, King is still working to advance the condition of women in sports, and her wife, Ilana Kloss, is with her every step of the way.

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