In 2009, Billie Jean King was one of 16 recipients that year to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the U.S.
On Friday, King was bestowed with France’s equivalent distinction in Paris. At the Élysée Palace, she was presented the La Légion d'Honneur by the nation’s president Emmanuel Macron, who paid tribute to the 78-year-old icon for her tireless investment in bringing women and the LGBTQ community to the forefront as part of her equal rights fight.