Lusia Harris was a vibrant American basketball player. She is regarded as one of the pioneers of women’s basketball. From 1975 to 1977, she was a member of Delta State University, where she won three consecutive Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) National Championships.
Harris was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame for her accomplishments.
She represented the United States national team at the international level, winning a silver medal in the 1976 Olympic Games. She was also the first and only woman to be officially drafted by the NBA while playing for the Houston Angels of the Women’s Professional Basketball League (WBL).
She was the subject of a 2021 short film titled “The Queen of Basketball” that detailed her career.
Is Lusia Harris still alive?
No, the legendary WNBA star passed away on January 18, 2022 per her family’s announcement.
In their media report, they revealed: “We are deeply saddened to share the news that our angel, matriarch, sister, mother, grandmother, Olympic medalist, and The Queen of Basketball, Lusia Harris, died unexpectedly today in Mississippi,” the family said in a statement. “The recent months have brought Ms. Harris great joy, including the news of her youngest son’s upcoming wedding and the outpouring of support received by a recent documentary that has brought worldwide attention to her storey.”
She was 66 at the time of her demise.
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