Billie Jean King’s Most Famous Adidas Sneakers Are Back for the First Time Ever
US Open season is upon us. Qualifiers are already underway in New York City ahead of the main draw’s official start on Sunday—though Adidas hasn’t wasted any time in ringing in the 2026’s final Grand Slam in style. Today, to commemorate one of the tournament’s most famous competitors, the Three Stripes are bringing back Billie Jean King’s most iconic tennis shoes for the first time ever.
King, now 82, is one of the fiercest competitors ever to take the court—a true pioneer who bagged 12 major titles over the course of her 22-year career, securing every Slam at least once along with half a dozen Wimbledon trophies. Today, every tennis star who plays in the US Open’s Arthur Ashe Stadium will walk past her most famous words, which are painted inside the players’ entrance tunnel: “Pressure is a privilege.” King would know—those Slam titles aren’t won easily.
But there’s one non-tournament match that stands as perhaps the defining moment of King’s legacy on the court: 1973’s infamous Battle of the Sexes. That showstopper of a match took place at the Astrodome in Houston, with a whopping 90 million people around the globe tuning in to watch a then-29-year-old King take on 55-year-old Bobby Riggs. The latter had goaded the women’s world number one into the spectacle following several public displays of chauvinism after he defeated the Australian star Margaret Court in a similar match earlier that same year.
In Houston, however, Riggs got his just deserts—King crushed him in straight sets, securing a landmark victory that helped legitimize the women’s game in the eyes of many spectators. To mark the occasion, King’s sneaker sponsor Adidas made her a custom pair of blue suede tennis shoes. They were one-of-one, not based on a preexisting silhouette like the Stan Smith or Gazelle, and have never been given a public release in the 53 years since.
That changes today: the German sportswear giant has recreated King’s original Blue Suede Shoes with a little bit of retrofitting for the modern era. The standard features—blue suede upper, white stripes, and white rubber sole—remain the same. To spruce things up, the brand has added King’s portrait on the tongue (similar to the famous design flourish on Stan Smiths), as well as a couple of cool Easter eggs on the heels: the left features the number “1973” to commemorate the year of the match, while the right heel features the final score: 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.
The Adidas x Billie Jean King Blue Suede Shoes go on sale today for $110
Source: www.gq.com
