Tennis Now: Billie Jean King Documentary Give Me The Ball! Premieres November 22 on ESPN and Disney+

Give Me The Ball!, the ESPN Films documentary about Billie Jean King, now has its television date. Tennis Now reported on November 10 that the 30 for 30 film premieres Sunday, November 22, on ESPN, the ESPN App and Disney+ in the United States, a schedule confirmed the same day in an ESPN press release.

Viewers outside the US get it a day later. ESPN said the film arrives globally on ESPN on Disney+ from Monday, November 23, which takes one of the most important athlete stories of the last century to a worldwide streaming audience.

The Release Plan

The documentary is not new to festival audiences. ESPN said it premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and has since screened at more than 30 festivals around the world, collecting several audience and jury awards along the way.

Before the streaming debut, the film also gets an awards-qualifying limited theatrical run this month, according to ESPN. That step matters in the documentary business, since it keeps the film eligible for the major honors that help long-form sports stories find a lasting audience.

Who Made It

The film is directed by Liz Garbus, a two-time Academy Award nominee, and Elizabeth Wolff, who makes her feature directing debut. It was produced by Ridley Scott Associates and Story Syndicate in association with Rocket Sports, the sports arm of Elton John's company.

That lineup tells you something about the project's ambition. A prestige documentary director, a major film production house and a music superstar's company do not usually line up behind a sports story unless they believe it reaches well beyond the sport.

What Is in the Film

ESPN said the film was made with unprecedented access to King and includes never-before-seen footage and photographs. Among them are newly transferred clips of women's tennis across seven decades and unearthed 1988 footage of King with a young Serena and Venus Williams.

Serena Williams, Elton John and Chris Evert are among those interviewed, according to Tennis Now. The film revisits King's 1973 "Battle of the Sexes" win over Bobby Riggs, her role in creating professional opportunities for women in tennis and her long fight for equal pay.

Why the Story Still Lands

In the ESPN release, Wolff placed King alongside Jackie Robinson and Muhammad Ali as the most influential athletes of the 20th century, while noting that many people born after her peak do not know her name. That gap is exactly what a 30 for 30 film is built to close.

Garbus, in the same release, described King's life as a lesson in advocacy and leadership and said the story has never felt more urgent. Marsha Cooke, who oversees ESPN Originals and 30 for 30, said King changed the conversation about who gets to compete, lead and be seen.

The series has a strong track record. ESPN said 30 for 30 has produced more than 100 films since its debut in 2009 and has won Emmy, Peabody and Academy Award honors, including the Oscar for OJ: Made in America. A King film carrying that label arrives with built-in credibility.

Where Sport Meets Screen

For Legend readers, the release is a case study in how an athlete's legacy is kept alive. Trophies and records tell part of the story. Film, archive footage and the voices of the people who were there tell the rest, and they reach audiences who never watched a match.

It is also a reminder that the business of sports storytelling now runs through streaming. A global Disney+ release means a story rooted in 1970s American tennis can be seen in living rooms around the world within a day.

The Bottom Line

Mark the dates: November 22 in the US on ESPN, the ESPN App and Disney+, and November 23 worldwide on ESPN on Disney+. For anyone who cares about how sport shaped equality off the court, Give Me The Ball! looks like essential viewing.