LOS ANGELES (AP) — Billie Jean King raised her right arm in triumph. Not for another victory on the tennis court. This time, she was celebrating earning a college degree 65 years after she first took classes.
The 82-year-old sports and equality icon received her bachelor's of art in history from Cal State Los Angeles on Monday, walking across the stage in hot pink glasses and royal blue sneakers at the Shrine Auditorium with about 6,000 others in the Class of 2026.
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Tennis legend Billie Jean King, prepares to toss tennis balls to graduates after delivering remarks during a California State University, Los Angeles, commencement ceremony in Los Angeles, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Tennis legend Billie Jean King, 82, left, poses with California State University, Los Angeles, President Berenecea Johnson Eanes after receiving her diploma during commencement in Los Angeles, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Tennis legend Billie Jean King raises her fist after being called to receive her diploma during California State University, Los Angeles, commencement in Los Angeles, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Tennis legend Billie Jean King laughs while delivering remarks before receiving her diploma during California State University, Los Angeles, commencement in Los Angeles, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Tennis legend Billie Jean King, left, receives her diploma from California State University, Los Angeles, President Berenecea Johnson Eanes during commencement in Los Angeles, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
“It's never too late, whatever age you are, whatever your abilities are, go for it if you want it,” she said afterward.
King’s black gown was accented with a gold graduation stole personalized by a friend. One side included her initials and the letters G.0.A.T., referring to greatest of all time. A multi-colored tennis racket was embroidered on the other side.
“It means a lot more to me than I thought,” she said afterward. “I am so glad I did it. My hope is that one other person will go back to school.”
King announced two years ago that she would work on completing her degree at the school where her bronze statue stands outside the physical education building. She's the first member of her immediate family to graduate from college, similar to the majority of her fellow graduates. The school has a predominantly Hispanic and Latino student body.
“Being a student-athlete didn't mean I had a scholarship,” she told the crowd. “Financial support wasn't available to women in 1961, even though my friends Arthur Ashe and Stan Smith were both scholarship students on the men's teams at UCLA and USC.”
King committed to working toward equality and inclusion for all.
“We can never understand inclusion unless we've been excluded,” she said.
At one point, a screaming baby in the balcony interrupted King.
“Is it that bad?” she asked, as the crowd laughed.
She punctuated her speech with a cry of “Si se puede!” The audience erupted in cheers and applause to the phrase meaning “Yes you can!”
Joined by student athletes and the school mascot, King hit autographed tennis balls into the crowd.
She initially enrolled at the campus five miles east of downtown in 1961, the same year she won the first of her record-tying 20 Wimbledon titles, this one in women's doubles.
“Things were different then,” she told the students. “Winning a Wimbledon doubles title today is worth close to half a million dollars. In 1961, I think we won a $45 gift voucher to a local store.”
She soon left school to pursue becoming No. 1 in the world, winning 39 major championships, and earning an historic victory over Bobby Riggs in the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes." King helped establish the current women's pro tour while pushing for expanded prize money and opportunities for women.
The biggest difference between learning in the ‘60s and today? “It’s so much more virtual,” she said. “Gosh, we had to be in class. I didn't go all the time, but I loved talking to the professors and I loved learning.”
Despite her many successes on and off the court, King carried a nagging feeling about not earning her degree. She always corrected anyone assembling her biography that stated she had graduated.
“I said, ‘Don’t ever say graduated, I haven't earned it yet,'” she said. “I was thinking today coming over here for the first time actually they can say I graduated now.”
Would King go for a master's degree?
“I just turned on the news and there's Shaq walking across at LSU getting his master's,” she said. “I just think it's wonderful to keep learning.”
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Tennis legend Billie Jean King, prepares to toss tennis balls to graduates after delivering remarks during a California State University, Los Angeles, commencement ceremony in Los Angeles, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Tennis legend Billie Jean King, 82, left, poses with California State University, Los Angeles, President Berenecea Johnson Eanes after receiving her diploma during commencement in Los Angeles, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Tennis legend Billie Jean King raises her fist after being called to receive her diploma during California State University, Los Angeles, commencement in Los Angeles, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Tennis legend Billie Jean King laughs while delivering remarks before receiving her diploma during California State University, Los Angeles, commencement in Los Angeles, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Tennis legend Billie Jean King, left, receives her diploma from California State University, Los Angeles, President Berenecea Johnson Eanes during commencement in Los Angeles, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Now a veteran of more than 50 NHL playoff games, Jack Eichel does not think the approach should be any different the deeper he and the Vegas Golden Knights venture into the postseason.
“We know we need to be better, and you want to continue to elevate your game both individually and as a team the further you go,” Eichel said. “That’s our goal.”
Easier said than done. Big boy hockey has arrived in the third round, with three of the top five favorites still playing in the conference finals. Vegas faces league-best Colorado in the West, while unbeaten beast-of-the-East Carolina gets Montreal after the Canadiens beat Buffalo in overtime of Game 7 on Monday night.
Game 1: Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Favorite: Colorado (2-5)
The Avalanche won the Presidents' Trophy for the best regular season and spent 156 consecutive days atop the NHL standings since Nov. 1, the longest run in four decades. They swept Los Angeles in the first round and beat Minnesota in five games, rallying to put the Wild away in overtime after falling behind 3-0 on the road.
Now, the difficulty level rachets up.
“I would expect Colorado’s stiffest challenge is going to come here in this next series because Vegas has been around the block,” former player and coach-turned-TNT analyst Ed Olczyk said. “They’ve got an experienced coach. They’re getting goaltending that they didn’t get for a lot of the regular season.”
Backstopped by Carter Hart and led by Mitch Marner, the Golden Knights are in the West final for the fourth time in their nine years of existence. It's their first under coach John Tortorella, who took over in late March and oversaw a 7-0-1 run to finish the season and more success in the playoffs.
“We feel really good about ourselves,” Tortorella said. “In playoffs, it’s not just the X's and O's and all. It’s how you feel, and the confidence level you have. I think we’re in a good spot.”
Colorado counterpart Jared Bednar is not worried about how his players will handle the spotlight getting brighter. The Avalanche are four years removed from their 2022 Stanley Cup run, while Vegas won it in '23.
“We have the exact same expectations as Vegas does,” Bednar said. “We have very similar experience, too: probably close to half the roster winning a Stanley Cup a couple years ago, no success since, and here we are facing each other. So, pressure on us is no different than the pressure on them.”
On the injury front, Vegas captain Mark Stone has been out since leaving Game 3 against Anaheim with an undisclosed injury. Avalanche star Cale Makar has been dealing with an apparent right arm or shoulder injury while fellow defenseman Sam Malinski and forward Artturi Lehkonen missed time late in the Minnesota series.
Game 1: Thursday, 8 p.m. EDT (TNT, TruTV)
Favorite: Carolina (4-11)
The Hurricanes are the first team to sweep through the first two rounds since the NHL went to four best-of-seven series in 1987. Their gift is 11 full days off before starting the East final.
“Obviously that’s not great,” Olczyk said. “That’s not ideal, but you’d rather have that than play back-to-back seven-game series and probably having guys being taped up to just get out there.”
Carolina captain Jordan Staal feels the same way, shrugging of the concern about rust and saying, “If anyone in the league was in a playoff series and they had the opportunity to win in four or seven, they would pick four.”
One more victory would tie the 1985 Edmonton Oilers for the longest winning streak to start a playoffs.
With back-to-back champion Florida not making it after injuries derailed the Panthers' season and other perennial contenders like Toronto and Tampa Bay out of the way, the sea has parted for the Hurricanes to get over the hump. They've won at least a round in each of Rod Brind'Amour's eight years as coach but have not yet reached the Stanley Cup Final.
“They're perfect — no blemishes,” Olczyk said, pointing to the goaltending of Frederik Andersen and strong scoring depth as contributing factors. “I felt that it was them: It was Carolina and everybody else. And could they do it when they were the favorites and when the path was opened, could they take advantage? And they have taken full advantage.”
After Alex Newhook scored his second Game 7-winning goal in as many rounds, the Canadiens are back in the third round for the first time since 2021, when divisional playoffs were in place to get through pandemic border restrictions.
“We’re going to give it our best. We’re going to keep rolling and see what happens,” Newhook said. “We’re a confident group. We knew what we were capable of all year. I think we believe that we can keep going and bring this thing all the way.”
AP Sports Writers Pat Graham in Denver, Aaron Beard in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Mark Anderson in Las Vegas contributed to this report.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Montreal Canadiens right wing Zachary Bolduc, right, celebrates after his goal with defenseman Mike Matheson (8) during the first period in Game 7 of a second-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Carolina Hurricanes' players celebrate after winning Game 4 against the Philadelphia Flyers in a second-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Carolina Hurricanes' Frederik Andersen warms up before the second period of Game 4 in a second-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Philadelphia Flyers, Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Colorado Avalanche center Jack Drury, center, is congratulated by, from left, center Nicolas Roy, right wing Valeri Nichushkin, and defensemen Devon Toews and Brent Burns in the third period of Game 5 of an NHL Stanley Cup hockey second-round playoff series against the Minnesota Wild Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore, right, celebrates his goal with center Tomas Hertl, left, during the first period in Game 6 of a second-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Anaheim Ducks, Thursday, May 14, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
