It’s like music to Billie Jean

Not to imply that Elton John is a real “Rocket Man,” but he sure seems to be getting around. He performed at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Saturday night, and earlier last week he sang for more than an hour at the Women’s Sports Foundation annual fund-raiser at the Beverly Hilton.

John and Billie Jean King, one of the founders of the Women’s Sports Foundation, are close friends, and that is why for the third consecutive year he donated his time at the group’s gala, which includes the presentation of the Billies, awards for journalistic excellence in the field of women’s sports.

King said she first met John two weeks before her “Battle of the Sexes” match with Bobby Riggs in 1973 at a party given by Jerry Perenchio, the promoter of the event.

“Elton was my favorite singer and he was an admirer of mine, but both of us were too shy to go up to one another,” King said. “But at the end of the evening, Jerry introduced us and Elton said, ‘Maybe I’ll see you at Wimbledon next year.’

“I don’t know how he found out which hotel I was staying at in London, but he left a note to call. I thought, ‘Wow, Elton John wants me to call.’ ”

King said the two ended up making plans to get together, “and he showed up in his Rolls with 28 speakers.”

That’s one way to make an impression -- loud and clear.

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Trivia time

What is the song that John came out with in 1975 as a tribute to King?

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Trail blazer

Winning the Billie for outstanding journalist at last week’s function was Lesley Visser, who before getting into television started out as a sportswriter for the Boston Globe in 1974, when signs in press boxes read, “No women and children allowed.”

Visser, quoting Katharine Hepburn, said, “If you follow all the rules, you’ll miss out on all the fun.”

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Fair warning

ABC-ESPN commentator Mark Jackson, who worked Sunday’s Lakers-Denver playoff game at Staples Center, is rumored to be a candidate to replace Isiah Thomas as coach of the New York Knicks.

Although on a conference call with reporters last week Jackson downplayed the possibility, he said Saturday he was honored to be mentioned.

Broadcast partner Jeff Van Gundy, the former Knicks coach who was also on last week’s call, said: “General managers need to know what they’re getting into if they hire him. He’s told confidants that once he signs a head coaching contract he’s going to name himself player-coach. He’s now No. 2 all-time in assists and his only goal is to pass Stockton.”

John Stockton has 15,806 assists, Jackson 10,334.

Added Van Gundy: “In the 13-14 years it’s going to take Mark to pass Stockton, you can destroy a franchise.”

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Safe haven

Craig Robinson, hired as Oregon State’s basketball coach on April 7, is the brother of Barack Obama’s wife, Michelle.

Asked by Fox Sports Radio’s Andrew Siciliano whether he gets Secret Service protection, Robinson said, “I don’t think I do. Even if they end up winning, you know, I live in Corvallis. I don’t need it.”

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Trivia answer

“Philadelphia Freedom.” King at the time was the coach of the Philadelphia Freedom of World Team Tennis, a league she co-founded with former husband Larry King.

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And finally

Mark Sanchez has been named USC’s starting quarterback, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he is now a big man on campus. At least he won’t be tooling around in a fancy car.

“I was just driving a ’96 Honda Civic and the paint was coming off,” he told Fox Sports Radio’s Siciliano. “But we just went to a car auction and got another one the other day. I moved up to a 2001 Accord, so I’m big-time rolling. It has 300,000 miles on it.

“It’s good and perfect for what I need.”

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larry.stewart@latimes.com