Lusia Harris Queen of Basketball 🏀
Written by adminVibe on February 28, 2022
(February 10, 1955 – January 18, 2022) How her story lasted this long without being featured is unfathomable. She stands as the only woman ever drafted in the NBA draft.
Harris is one of the pioneers of women’s basketball. From 1975 to 1977, she was a member of Delta State University’s basketball team that won three consecutive Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) National Championships, which were the predecessors to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships.
She represented the United States at the international level, winning a silver medal at the 1976 Olympic Games, the first women’s basketball competition ever held at an Olympic Games. She actually scored the first ever basket in women’s Olympic Basketball.
After her collegiate career, she was drafted in the seventh round of the 1977 NBA draft by the New Orleans Jazz, who began play in 1974 and later relocated to Utah.
The San Francisco Warriors selected another woman, Denise Long, in the 1969 selection, but the pick was annulled by the league, leaving Harris as the only woman to be officially drafted to date. Despite this, Harris declined the Jazz’s offer, preferring to start a family.
It’s always best hearing the facts from the actual person and she fortunately got to tell her story before her making her earthly transition. Big up Shaquille O’Neal executive producer of the documentary “The Queen of Basketball.”
I want every female out there to gain some inspiration from this woman’s historic story. I also hope this draws more support for women’s sports.
