Maria Sharapova stood nearly as tall as NBA giant Magic Johnson, as they both attended Billie Jean King’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony on Monday.
Sharapova, 37, almost measured up to the legendary basketball player, 65, while wearing heels, as they posed side by side at the event.
The former tennis superstar is 6′ 2″ tall, while Lakers legend Magic stands at 6′ 9″.
It was a rare appearance for the star, who retired from tennis five years prior, as she helped celebrate tennis icon Billie, 81, becoming the first woman to receive the honor.
The Russian beauty stunned in a long flowing pleated dress belted at the waist. She accessorized with a brown clutch and matching heels.
King was the first to get the star in the new sports entertainment category, and was joined by other famous friends including Jamie Lee Curtis.
Maria Sharapova, 37, stood nearly as tall as NBA giant Magic Johnson, 65, as they both attended Billie Jean King’s, 81, Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony on Monday
Sharapova, who is 6′ 2″ tall, almost measured up to the legendary basketball player, who stands at 6′ 9″, while wearing heels, as they posed side by side at the ceremony
‘The important things is, I don’t want to be the last one,’ the Hall of Fame tennis player told the crowd at the event.
Afterwards, they attended a celebration hosted by PEOPLE + e.l.f. Cosmetics at The Aster in Los Angeles, California.
Magic looked dapper in a grey suit paired with white sneakers.
Last year, former Wimbledon champion Maria looked unrecognizable as she made a return to the iconic tennis club.
She was back at Wimbledon in a non-playing capacity and was welcomed back at SW19 for an afternoon that involved plenty of posing out on centre court.
Maria rocketed to fame when she beat top seed and defending champion Serena Williams on Centre Court to win her first Grand Slam at just 17 in 2004 and become known for her trademark long blonde hair.
But after retiring in 2020, she has favored a more natural look with her previous blonde hairstyle now gone.
During her storied time on court, she became the first Russian player to complete the career Grand Slam after wins in Melbourne, New York, Paris and London and the third-youngest woman to triumph at Wimbledon.
Sharapova retired from playing five years ago after battling with injuries, but had the final years of her time in the sport marred by a failed drugs test.
A 2016 test saw Sharapova suspended for two years after she was found to have ingested meldonium, a substance which had been banned at the start of that year, ahead of the Australian Open.
Her suspension was later reduced to 15 months after she was found to have taken the drug as per her doctor’s advice.
King was the first to get the star in the new sports entertainment category, and was joined by other famous friends including Jamie Lee Curtis (L)
The fellow tennis champions posed together
The Russian beauty stunned in a long flowing pleated dress belted at the waist
Afterwards, they attended a celebration of the occasion hosted by PEOPLE + e.l.f. Cosmetics at The Aster in Los Angeles, California
Maria was pictured applauding Billie during the ceremony
Even though she was the first to receive the honor, Billie told the crowd at the event: ‘The important things is, I don’t want to be the last one’
After retiring in 2020, Maria has favored a more natural look with her previous blonde hairstyle now gone
In 2022, she gave birth to her first child, son Theodore, whose father is British businessman Alexander Gilkes.
She revealed she was engaged to Gilkes in 2020.
Meanwhile King – for whom the Billie Jean King Cup is named in honor of – won 39 Grand Slam titles in a 22 year professional career including 12 singles titles, 16 in women’s doubles and 11 in mixed doubles.
Away from the court she has long led the conversation about, and drive for, greater equality in the sport, and founded the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).
She has also shown herself to be something of a pioneer, especially when it comes to thinking up ways to make tennis a more approachable sport for the youth of today.
Among many things, she has suggested added players’ names to the backs of their shirts so that they can be more recognizable to viewers through television screens around the world.
But perhaps the most radical change she has proposed, is a change to tennis iconic 15-30-40 scoring system, which is markedly different to most other sports.
‘I want to make it easy for fans. I think it should be 1-2-3-4 not 15-love, 30-love.
The Russian superstar retired from playing five years ago after battling with injuries; pictured in 2015
King – for whom the Billie Jean King Cup is named in honor of – won 39 Grand Slam titles in a 22 year professional career including 12 singles titles, 16 in women’s doubles and 11 in mixed doubles; pictured in 1966
‘If you are a kid – I didn’t come from tennis – what the heck does that mean? If we want to get eight, nine, 10, 11, 12-year-old children involved in our sport we have to make it accessible to them – not to a 60-year-old fan.’
Tennis scoring goes from 15 to 30 to 40, and then the game is won after winning a point from 40.
If both players are tied on 40, then a deuce is called, and a player must win two successive points to seal the game.
There will be many that believe the unique nature of scoring is an iconic part of the sport, though it is hard to argue that in its difference it does make scoring harder to understand for those newer to the game.
