adidas Honors Billie Jean King With Blue Suede Shoe Reissue

Billie Jean King might not be someone with whom younger generations are familiar, but that's sure to change soon given a fitting tribute by adidas Tennis.

Long before the rise of woman athletes as international superstars across a variety of disciplines, King left a mark on the world of tennis through her on-court play and social activism. During her professional career, she won 39 Grand Slam titles and founded the Women's Tennis Association. Perhaps most famously, she played against and defeated Bobby Riggs in a 1973 match dubbed the "Battle of the Sexes."

For the occasion, King wore a custom blue suede pair of adidas shoes.

King's score across the different sets on Sept. 20, 1973 was 6–4, 6–3, 6–3. She won while wearing footwear by the Three Stripes.

As the 53rd anniversary of the "Battle of the Sexes" approaches, adidas Tennis is reissuing a special-edition of Billie Jean King's Blue Suede Shoes.

Akin to the ever-popular adidas Stan Smith, King's portrait and signature appear on the top of the tongue. The pair's left heel features "1973" as a nod to the year of King's unprecedented win against Bobby Riggs, while the right heel sees the match's set scores. Unsurprisingly, a high-quality blue suede covers the bulk of the upper, sharing the stage with white-colored contrasting accents.

"These blue shoes will always represent so much more to me than one match," said King in a press release. "They remind me of the progress we’ve made, but also of the work that is still ahead of us. I hope bringing them back inspires the next generation to keep pushing for equality and to use their voices to create positive change."

King's reissued Blue Suede Shoes release via adidas.com on Tuesday, Aug. 24.

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