Basketball Legend Lusia Harris Dies at Age 66

Lusia Harris, the first woman to be drafted by an NBA team and the scorer of the first points in women’s basketball history at the Olympics, died Tuesday, January 18, according to her family. She was 66 years old.   

“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,” said the family 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 home state of Mississippi, was drafted in the seventh round of the 1977 National Basketball Association draft by the New Orleans Jazz, but she didn’t try out because she was pregnant.   

Harris won a silver medal for the United States at the 1976 Montreal Olympics after helping Delta State University win three straight national titles in the 1970s.   

“I really didn’t realize that [my time playing] was a history-making moment. But, as one of my teammates pointed out to me, [my] scoring the first point in that game meant that it was immediately history and a record that could never be broken,” Harris said in a 2021 interview with The Undefeated.  

In 1992, Harris became the first African-American woman to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inducted her in 1999.   

Harris led Delta State to a 109-6 record, averaging 25.9 points and 14.4 rebounds. She’s still the all-time scoring (2,981 points) and rebounding leader at the school (1,662).   

In 1975, Harris was selected for the United States women’s team. Women’s basketball made its Olympic debut the following year, with Harris scoring the first point in the tournament’s first game.   

The Queen of Basketball, a short film about her career, was released in 2021.  

“She is one of the greatest living women’s basketball players,” the film’s summary states. “Three national trophies. Scored the first basket in women’s Olympic basketball at the ’76 Olympics. Drafted to the NBA. But have you ever heard of Lucy Harris?”