Lusia Harris, women’s college basketball pioneer and NBA Draft pick, dies at 66
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Lusia Harris, considered to be one of the greatest women’s college basketball players of all time, has died. She was 66.
“Lucy,” as she was known to teammates and friends, was a native of Minter City, Mississippi, and led Delta State to three consecutive AIAW national titles (1975, 1976, and 1977).
The 6-foot-3 post player was named MVP of the tournament during each of the wins and was also a three-time Kodak All-American. She earned a silver medal for the United States at the Montreal Olympics in 1976.
“We are deeply saddened to share the news that our angel, matriarch, sister, mother, grandmother, Olympic medalist, The Queen of Basketball, Lusia Harris has passed away unexpectedly today in Mississippi,” according to a statement released by the family. “The recent months brought Ms. Harris great joy, including the news of the upcoming wedding of her youngest son and the outpouring of recognition received by a recent documentary that brought worldwide attention to her story.”
Harris was named to the U.S. women’s team in 1975. The following year, women’s basketball made its Olympic debut and Harris scored the first points in the first game of the tournament.
Harris still holds Delta State career records for points (2,891) and rebounds (1,662). She averaged 25.9 points, shooting 63% from the field, and 14.5 rebounds per game.
Harris was selected by the New Orleans Jazz in the seventh round of the 1977 NBA Draft, but didn’t try out for the team because she was pregnant at the time. The San Francisco Warriors tried to draft Denise Long in 1969, but the NBA blocked it because she didn’t meet the criteria to be drafted — in part because of her gender.
“She will be remembered for her charity, for her achievements both on and off the court, and the light she brought to her community, the State of Mississippi, her country as the first woman ever to score a basket in the Olympics, and to women who play basketball around the world. At this time the family respectfully requests their privacy. Details of a memorial service will follow,” the statement said.
Harris played one season with the Houston Angels of the Women’s Professional Basketball League before working at Delta State and later becoming the coach at Texas Southern.
She’s the subject of the recent documentary “The Queen of Basketball” which was directed by award-winning director Ben Proudfoot.
Harris was the first women’s college player and first Black woman to be inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1992). She is also in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (1999), Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame (1990) and the Delta State Hall of Fame (1983).
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Lusia Harris, only woman ever drafted by NBA team, dies at 66
Lusia Harris, who became the only woman to be officially drafted by an NBA team and scored the first points in women’s basketball history at the Olympics, died Tuesday, her family announced. She was 66.
“We are deeply saddened to share the news that our angel, matriarch, sister, mother, grandmother, Olympic medalist, The Queen of Basketball, Lusia Harris has passed away unexpectedly today in Mississippi,” the family said in a statement. “The recent months brought Ms. Harris great joy, including the news of the upcoming wedding of her youngest son and the outpouring of recognition received by a recent documentary that brought worldwide attention to her story.”
Harris, who died in her native Mississippi, was drafted by the New Orleans Jazz in the seventh round in 1977, but didn’t try out for the team because she was pregnant at the time. The San Francisco Warriors tried to draft Denise Long in 1969, but the NBA blocked it because she didn’t meet the criteria to be drafted – in part because of her gender.
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.
Harris was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992 as the first Black woman to earn that honor. She was later enshrined into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.
“She will be remembered for her charity, for her achievements both on and off the court, and the light she brought to her community, the state of Mississippi, her country as the first woman ever to score a basket in the Olympics, and to women who play basketball around the world,” the statement said.
Harris averaged 25.9 points and 14.4 rebounds at Delta State, lifting the team to a 109-6 record during her time there. She’s still the school’s all-time leader in scoring (2,981 points) and rebounding (1,662).
Harris was named to the U.S. women’s team in 1975. The following year, women’s basketball made its Olympic debut and Harris scored the first points in the first game of the tournament.
She was the subject of a 2021 short film titled “The Queen of Basketball” that detailed her career.
Lusia Harris, only woman ever drafted by NBA team, dies at 66 originally appeared on NBCSports.com
Lusia Harris, basketball pioneer and only woman drafted into the NBA, dies at 66
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Lusia Harris, seen here at a 2021 film fesitval showing a documentary on her life, died on Tuesday at 66.. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival)
Lusia Harris, the first and only woman to be drafted into the NBA, died on Tuesday in her native Mississippi. She was 66 years old.
Her family announced her death in a statement. The cause of death is not clear.
“We are deeply saddened to share the news that our angel, matriarch, sister, mother, grandmother, Olympic medalist, The Queen of Basketball, Lusia Harris has passed away unexpectedly today in Mississippi,” the statement reads. “The recent months brought Ms. Harris great joy, including the news of the upcoming wedding of her youngest son and the outpouring of recognition received by a recent documentary that brought worldwide attention to her story.”
Harris led Delta State to three straight AIAW national championships from 1975-77, when the AIAW was the equivalent to the NCAA for women’s collegiate sports. A 6-foot-3 center, Harris averaged 25.9 points and 14.5 rebounds while shooting 63.3% from the field in 115 college games. She was a three-time All-American.
After her college career, the New Orleans Jazz selected Harris in the seventh round of the 1977 NBA draft. Per the Associated Press, she didn’t try out for the Jazz because she was pregnant.
Harris also starred on the inaugural U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team and made history as the first woman to score a point in basketball at the Olympics. She played alongside fellow pioneers Nancy Lieberman and Pat Summitt, who went by her maiden name Pat Head at the time. The United States won a silver medal at those Montreal Games.
Harris was the first Black woman to be enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992. She was also inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.
She lived long enough to witness a documentary celebrating her life titled “The Queen of Basketball,” which made its debut in 2021.
Lusia Harris (1955-2022)
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The Athletic: The Kings have no interest in taking back Tobias Harris in a Ben Simmons deal, a source tells @Sam Amick. Sacramento still sees a pathway to Simmons. pic.twitter.com/un5dZ2HcKu
Lusia Harris, basketball Hall of Famer, dies at 66
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Hall of Famer Lusia Harris made history by becoming the first and only woman to be officially drafted by an NBA team.
Lusia ‘Lucy’ Harris, the basketball pioneer who won a silver medal at the 1976 Olympic Games and was the first Black woman inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, has died at the age of 66, her family said on Tuesday.
No cause of death was given.
“We are deeply saddened to share the news that our angel, matriarch, sister, mother, grandmother, Olympic medalist, ‘The Queen of Basketball’, Lusia Harris has passed away unexpectedly today in Mississippi,” the family said in a statement.
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“She will be remembered for her charity, for her achievements both on and off the court, and the light she brought to her community, the State of Mississippi, her country as the first woman ever to score a basket in the Olympics, and to women who play basketball around the world.”
Harris, the 10th of 11 children, was a standout high school player before attending Delta State, where she won three consecutive national championships and was a three-time MVP. She graduated with a college record of 109-6.
She led the U.S. national team to a gold medal at the Pan American Games in 1975 and silver the next year at the Montreal Games, which was the first Olympics to have a women’s basketball tournament.
She was drafted by the NBA’s New Orleans Jazz in 1977 but never played in the league, instead choosing to focus on raising a family. She was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.
Her life story was chronicled in a critically-acclaimed documentary last year entitled “The Queen of Basketball.”
“When I got the call and they said they wanted to do this documentary, I was really kind of surprised,” she told Good Morning America in June.
“That was just unreal.”