Lucia Harris, the woman who made NBA history for being selected in the draft, dies

Lucia Harris, the legendary basketball player who made NBA history for being the only woman selected in the draft, died Tuesday at the age of 66. “We are deeply saddened to share the news of the unexpected death of our angel, sister, mother, grandmother, Olympic medalist and basketball queen Lucia Harris in Mississippi,” the family said in a statement.

Loved ones recall: “The past few months have brought great joy to Mrs. Harris, including the news of her youngest son’s upcoming wedding and the huge acclaim for the recent documentary that brought the world’s attention to her story.”

in 1977

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

Harris, who died in her hometown, is remembered in the sports world for being selected by the New Orleans Jazz in the seventh round of the 1977 draft. However, she did not train with her male teammates theoretically because she was pregnant at that moment. There was another case throughout the history of the best basketball league in the world, but Dennis Long was finally left out.

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

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

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 in scoring (2,981 points) and rebounding (1,662).

Montreal 76

She was the first to score points for the US women’s team at the Olympics

Harris was selected for 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 opening game of the tournament.

Last year, a short film called basketball queen It tells of the march of this pioneer under the hoop.