Remembering History: Althea Gibson’s legacy lives on more than 50 years since her retirement from pro sports

As Women’s History Month closes, we take a closer look at Althea Gibson, the Black American two-sport athlete whose legacy is still being celebrated even 20 years after her death. It may be 50 years since Gibson last competed in any of her sports – notably tennis and golf — but her presence in venues where she played is still felt.

As recently as last Aug. 25 – on what would have been her 95th birthday – Gibson was honored in New York City with the unique distinction of having a street named after her. The road located at West 143rd Street between Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard and Malcolm X Boulevard is now co-named Althea Gibson Way, honoring the 11-time tennis Grand Slam champion near where she grew up in Harlem.

”It was truly an inspiration for me to watch her overcome adversity,” said tennis icon Billie Jean King, who was just 13 when she first saw Gibson play. ”Her road to success was a challenging one, but I never saw her back down.”

King was on hand in 2019 when the USTA honored Gibson with the dedication of the Althea Gibson Sculpture Garden at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The centerpiece of the garden is a sculpture of Gibson, created by artist Eric Goulder, which includes an augmented reality experience. Developed by MRM/McCann, visitors can activate exclusive content about Gibson’s life and legacy.

“She was beautiful and graceful and intimidating all at the same time on the court,” King added. “When she came to net, she was very intimidating. I’ve said to Venus [Williams] that she was like a 21st-century Althea.”

Born to sharecroppers on a cotton farm in South Carolina in 1927, Gibson’s journey to tennis glory started when she was just a child, growing up in Harlem on a stretch of 143rd