Lusia Harris dies, the woman who entered the history of the NBA for being chosen in the draft

Lusia Harris, the legendary basketball player who entered NBA history for being the only woman chosen in the draft, died on Tuesday at the age of 66. “We are deeply saddened to share the news that our angel, matriarch, sister, mother, grandmother, Olympic medalist, basketball queen Lusia Harris has passed away unexpectedly in Mississippi,” the family said in a statement.

“The past few months have brought Mrs. Harris great joy, including the news of her youngest son’s upcoming wedding and the great acclaim received for a recent documentary that brought her story to global attention,” her loved ones recalled.

in 1977

She was selected by the New Orleans Jazz, but did not get to train because she was pregnant.

Harris, who died in her hometown, is remembered in the sports world for having been selected by the New Orleans Jazz in the seventh round of the 1977 draft. However, she did not get to train with her theoretical male teammates because she was pregnant in that moment. There was another case throughout the history of the best basketball league in the world, but Denise Long was finally excluded.

Harris helped Delta State University win three straight national titles in the 1970s and earned a silver medal for the United States at the Montreal Olympics in 1976. She was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992. as the first black woman to earn that honor. She was later enshrined in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.

“She will be remembered for her charity, for her accomplishments both on and off the court, and the light she brought to her community, the state of Mississippi, her country as the first woman to score a basket at the Olympics, and for the women who play basketball around the world,” the statement concludes.

During his time at Delta State, he averaged 25.9 points and 14.4, leading the team to a 109-6 record during his time on the team. She remains the player with the college record for scoring (2,981 points) and rebounding (1,662).

Montréal ’76

She was the first to score the points of the United States women’s team in an Olympic Games

Harris was named to the United States women’s national team in 1975. The following year, women’s basketball made its Olympic debut in Canada, and Harris scored the first points in the tournament’s opener.

Last year a short film entitled the queen of basketball recounts the career of this pioneer under the hoop.