Lusia Harris, to date the only woman to be officially selected in an NBA draft, died unexpectedly at 66 years old as reported by his family through a statement.
Harris went down in history when in 1977 he was selected in the seventh round of the NBA men’s draft for the New Orleans Jazz and although he did not play a single NBA game, his presence in the league could have broken a barrier as big as the separation of male and female genders in sports.
When they told him in Mississippi, his hometown, that he had been selected by New Orleans in the draft, he replied: “Recruited by a team of men? “
The magnitude of her feat was so great that she was selected just one place behind Alvin Scott, player who ended up playing eight seasons with the Phoenix Suns in the NBA.
Some time later it became known that it was Harris herself who turned down the opportunity but not because she felt intimidated but because she was pregnant at the time.
During his college days at Delta State, he led his team to a record of 109 wins and just six losses, averaging 25.9 points and 14.5 rebounds per game at the pivot position. In addition, he accumulated a 64 % of effectiveness in field goals.
The player’s family explained in the published text the achievements in the discipline, as well as highlighting their participation in the Olympic Games in the debut of women’s basketball in 1976.
“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, and to her country as the first woman to score a basket in the Olympic Games”, expressed her family.
Under her wake, the United States was able to add a silver medal in the inaugural women’s tournament in 1200 at the Montreal Olympics. Hall of Famers Nancy Lieberman, Ann Meyers and Pat Summitt were also on that team.
In 2021, he participated in “The Queen Of Basketball“, a short-documentary that showed his career and achievements in American basketball.
Harris was selected in 1992 to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame at 1992 and at 1999, three years after the start of the WNBA, was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame at the inaugural ceremony alongside 26 more players.