View source for Lusia Harris

{{Short description|American basketball player (1955–2022)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Good article}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Lusia Harris
| image = Lusia Harris DSU.jpg
| image_size = 
| caption = Harris as a senior at [[Delta State Lady Statesmen basketball|Delta State]]
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 3
| weight_lb = 185
| birth_date = {{birth date|1955|2|10}}
| birth_place = [[Minter City, Mississippi]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2022|1|18|1955|2|10}}
| death_place = [[Mound Bayou, Mississippi]], U.S.
| highschool = [[Amanda Elzy High School|Amanda Elzy]]<br>(near Greenwood, Mississippi)
| college = [[Delta State Lady Statesmen basketball|Delta State]] (1973–1977)
| draft_year = 1977
| draft_round = 7
| draft_pick = 137
| draft_team = [[New Orleans Jazz (NBA team)|New Orleans Jazz]]
| career_start = 1979
| career_end = 1980
| career_number = 
| career_position = [[Center (basketball)|Center]]
| years1 = 1979–1980
| team1 = [[Houston Angels]]
| highlights = * 3× [[AIAW women's basketball tournament|AIAW champion]] (1975–1977)
* 3× [[AIAW women's basketball tournament|AIAW Tournament]] MVP (1975–1977)
* 3x [[Women's Basketball Coaches Association|Kodak]] All-American (1975–1977)
* [[Honda Sports Award (basketball)|Honda Sports Award]] for basketball (1977)
* [[Honda-Broderick Cup|Broderick Cup]] (1977)
| HOF_player = lusia-harris-stewart
| womensHOF = stewart
| medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry|{{flagu|United States}}}}
{{MedalSport|Women's [[basketball]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Pan American Games]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1975 Pan American Games|1975 Mexico City]]|[[Basketball at the 1975 Pan American Games|Team competition]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1976 Summer Olympics|1976 Montreal]]|[[Basketball at the 1976 Summer Olympics|Team competition]]}}
}}
[[File:MinterCityLusiaHarrisSign.jpg|thumb|Sign along Highway 49 East recognizing Minter City as the hometown of Lusia Harris]]

'''Lusia Mae Harris''' (February 10, 1955 – January 18, 2022) was an American professional [[basketball]] player. Harris is considered to be one of the pioneers of [[women's basketball]]. She played for [[Delta State University]] and won three consecutive [[Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women]] (AIAW) [[AIAW women's basketball tournament|National Championships]], the predecessors to the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]] (NCAA) championships, from 1975 to 1977. On the international level, she represented the [[United States women's national basketball team|United States' national team]]. She was on the team which won the [[gold medal]] in the [[1975 Pan American Games]]. In addition, she was a member of the team which won the [[silver medal]] in the [[1976 Summer Olympics|1976 Olympic Games]], the first women's [[Basketball at the Summer Olympics|basketball tournament in the Olympic Games]]. She played professional basketball with the [[Houston Angels]] of the [[Women's Professional Basketball League]] (WBL) and was the first and only woman ever to be officially [[Draft (sports)|drafted]] by the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA). For her achievements, Harris was inducted to the [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame]] and [[Women's Basketball Hall of Fame]].<ref name="legacy">{{cite web|url=https://www.legacy.com/news/celebrity-deaths/lusia-harris-1955-2022-only-woman-ever-drafted-by-the-nba/|title=Lusia Harris obituary: basketball pioneer dies at 66 – Legacy.com|first=Linnea|last=Crowther|date=January 19, 2022|work=legacy.com|access-date=September 11, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120211603/https://www.legacy.com/news/celebrity-deaths/lusia-harris-1955-2022-only-woman-ever-drafted-by-the-nba/ | archive-date=January 20, 2022 | url-status=live}}</ref>

==Early life==
Lusia Mae Harris was born in [[Minter City, Mississippi]],<ref>{{Olympedia}}</ref> to Ethel Harris and Willie Harris, a sharecropper in the cotton fields. She was the fourth of five daughters and the tenth of eleven children, all of whom attended [[Amanda Elzy High School]] near [[Greenwood, Mississippi]].<ref name="interview">{{cite web |url=http://digilib.usm.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/coh&CISOPTR=3087&REC=3 |title=Oral history with Ms. Lusia Harris-Stewart |date=December 18, 1999 |publisher=University of Southern Mississippi |access-date=August 31, 2010 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5sLD9bLuU?url=http://digilib.usm.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=%2Fcoh&CISOPTR=3087&CISOMODE=print |archive-date=August 29, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> All of her brothers and one of her older sisters, Janie, also played basketball.<ref name="interview"/>

Harris played basketball under coach Conway Stewart in high school. She won the [[most valuable player]] award three years in a row, served as team captain, and made the state All-Star team .<ref name="porter">{{cite book|title=Basketball: A Biographical Dictionary|first=David L.|last=Porter|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=2005|isbn=978-0-313-30952-6|pages=454–455|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WRw2DRCjHuoC|access-date=August 31, 2010}}</ref> She scored a school record 46 points in one game and led her school to the state tournament in [[Jackson, Mississippi]].<ref name="wsf">{{cite web|url=http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/Content/Articles/Athletes/About-Athletes/L/Lucys-Legacy-A-Profile-of-Lusia-HarrisStewart.aspx|title=Lucy's Legacy: A Profile of Lusia Harris-Stewart|first=Helen|last=Wheelock|publisher=Women's Sports Foundation|access-date=August 31, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121054040/http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/Content/Articles/Athletes/About-Athletes/L/Lucys-Legacy-A-Profile-of-Lusia-HarrisStewart.aspx|archive-date=November 21, 2008}}</ref>

After her high school graduation, she had planned to attend [[Alcorn State University]], which did not have a women's basketball team.<ref name="lannin">{{cite book|title=A History of Basketball for Girls and Women: From Bloomers to Big Leagues|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofbasketb00lann|url-access=registration|first=Joanne|last=Lannin|year=2000|publisher=Lerner Sports|isbn=978-0-8225-9863-3|pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyofbasketb00lann/page/84 84–85]}}</ref> However, she was recruited by Melvin Hemphill to play for [[Margaret Wade (basketball coach)|Margaret Wade]], who was restarting a collegiate women's team at [[Delta State University]] in [[Cleveland, Mississippi]].<ref name="grundy">{{cite book|title=Shattering The Glass: The Remarkable History of Women's Basketball|first=Pamela|last=Grundy|author2=Shackelford, Susan |year=2005|publisher=University of North Carolina Press|isbn=978-1-56584-822-1|pages=163–168|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZfS_3MUPBXoC|access-date=August 31, 2010}}</ref> She attended school on a combination of academic [[scholarship]]s and [[Cooperative education|work study]] funds,<ref name="lannin"/> since this was prior to [[Title IX]].

==College career==
In her first year at Delta State, 1973–74, Harris helped the [[Delta State Lady Statesmen basketball|Lady Statesmen]] to a 16–2 record. However, they finished third in the regional tournament and failed to qualify for the national tournament.<ref name="media guide">{{cite web|url=http://www.gostatesmen.com/documents/2010/10/14/History_and_Records.pdf|title=2010–2011 Delta State University Lady Statesmen Basketball Guide, Section 5: The History|publisher=Delta State University|access-date=July 11, 2011}}</ref>

In the 1974–75 season, the Lady Statesmen qualified for the national tournament at [[Harrisonburg, Virginia]]. They went all the way to the final, where they met the Mighty Macs of [[Immaculata University]] who had won the last three consecutive AIAW championships.<ref name="williamson">{{cite magazine|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1090540/index.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025070119/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1090540/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 25, 2012|title=The Women|first=Nancy|last=Williamson|date=December 1, 1975|magazine=Sports Illustrated|publisher=Time Warner Company|access-date=August 31, 2010}}</ref> In the final, Harris scored 32 points and recorded 16 rebounds to lead Delta State past Immaculata 90–81.<ref name="1975final">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pd9NAAAAIBAJ&pg=2675,3058390|title=Delta State dethrones Immaculata|date=March 24, 1975|newspaper=The Free Lance-Star|location=Fredericksburg, Virginia|publisher=The Free Lance–Star Publishing Company|access-date=July 11, 2011}}</ref> The 1975 championship game was televised nationally (albeit delayed). This was the first year that women's basketball games were nationally televised by a major network.<ref name="lannin"/> That season, Delta State went undefeated with a 28–0 record, the only undefeated college basketball season that year (men or women).<ref name="williamson"/> Harris scored a total of 138 points and 63 rebounds in four games at the national tournament and was named as the tournament's [[most valuable player]].<ref name="1975final"/>

In the 1975–76 season, Delta State and Immaculata met again in the national tournament final. Harris again led Delta State with 30 points and 18 rebounds in a 69–64 victory.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jKheAAAAIBAJ&pg=5666,5674050|title=Lucia Harris, Delta State will get better|date=March 29, 1976|newspaper=St. Joseph News-Press|location=Saint Joseph, Missouri|publisher=News-Press & Gazette Company|access-date=July 11, 2011}}</ref> That season, she led the nation in scoring with 1,060 points and 31.2 points per game average, including a 58-point game against [[Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles women's basketball|Tennessee Tech]].

In her senior, 1976–77, season, Delta State played a game in the [[Madison Square Garden]] in which Harris scored 47 points. This was one of the first women's basketball games ever played there.<ref name="porter"/> In 1977, Delta State went to the national tournament final for the third year in a row. In the final, Harris achieved 23 points and 16 rebounds as Delta State defeated [[LSU Lady Tigers basketball|Louisiana State University]] 68–55 for their third consecutive national title.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wYclAAAAIBAJ&pg=2921,1368638|title=Delta State take 3rd title|date=March 29, 1977|newspaper=Washington Afro-American|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=The Afro-American Co|access-date=July 11, 2011}}</ref>

Harris was named the national tournament's most valuable player; she was also named to the [[All-America]]n first team during Delta State's three winning seasons.<ref name="media guide" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wbhof.com/harris.html|title=Lusia Harris-Stewart Bio|publisher=Women's Basketball Hall of Fame|access-date=August 31, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919085522/http://www.wbhof.com/harris.html|archive-date=September 19, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> Her college career record was 109–6, and included victories over later [[NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship|NCAA Division I]] powerhouses such as Immaculata University, [[Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball|University of Tennessee]], [[Baylor Bears women's basketball|Baylor University]], [[Ole Miss Rebels women's basketball|University of Mississippi]], Louisiana State University and [[Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters basketball|Louisiana Tech University]].<ref name="media guide" /> Harris finished her college career with 2,981 points and 1,662 rebounds, averaging 25.9 points and 14.5 rebounds per game.<ref name="media guide" /> She also graduated holding fifteen of eighteen of Delta State's team, single game, and career records. In 1977, she won the inaugural [[Honda Sports Award]] for basketball,<ref name="Past Winners – basketball">{{cite journal|title=PAST HONDA SPORTS AWARD WINNERS FOR BASKETBALL|url=http://www.collegiatewomensportsawards.com/archives/basketball|journal=THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards Program|access-date=May 8, 2014}}</ref> as well as the [[Honda-Broderick Cup|Broderick Cup]], an award for outstanding female athletes in college.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/tag/lusia-harris-stewart |title=Lusia Harris-Stewart Bio |publisher=Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame |access-date=August 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100806162542/http://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/tag/lusia-harris-stewart |archive-date=August 6, 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=The women's sports encyclopedia|date=1997|publisher=H. Holt|others=Markel, Robert., Waggoner, Susan., Smith, Marcella (Marcella Ann)|isbn=0-8050-4494-9|edition=1st|location=New York|pages=8|oclc=36640667}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mississippiencyclopedia.org/entries/lusia-harris-stewart/|title=Lusia Harris-Stewart|last=r2WPadmin|website=Mississippi Encyclopedia|language=en-US|access-date=March 30, 2020}}</ref>

During her tenure at Delta State, Harris was the only [[African American]] player on the team.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shackleford |first1=Susan |last2=Grundy |first2=Pam |title=Shattering the Glass: The Remarkable History of Women's Basketball |date=March 2007 |publisher=The University of North Carolina Press |isbn=978-0-8078-5829-5 |page=163}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Proudfoot |first=Ben |date=2023-01-12 |title=Opinion {{!}} She Made History as a Black Basketball Star. Why Won't Her College Name Its Arena for Her? |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/12/opinion/basketball-delta-state-university-lusia-lucy-harris.html |access-date=2023-01-12 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

===Delta State statistics===
Source<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/w_basketball_RB/misc/wbbfinest.pdf|title=Women's Basketball Finest|website=fs.ncaa.org|access-date=October 2, 2017}}</ref>
{{NBA player statistics legend}}
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Team
!GP
!Points
!FG%
!FT%
!RPG
!PPG
|-
|1974
|Delta State
| colspan="6" |NA
|-
|1975
|Delta State
| colspan="6" |NA
|-
|1976
|Delta State
|34
|1060
|61.9%
|NA
|15.1
|31.2
|-
|1977
|Delta State
| colspan="6" |NA
|-
|Career
|
|115
|2981
|63.3%
|66.3%
|14.5
|25.9
|}

==National team career==
In 1975, Harris was selected to the [[United States women's national basketball team|United States national team]] in the [[1975 FIBA World Championship for Women|FIBA World Championship for Women]] in [[Colombia]] and the [[1975 Pan American Games|Pan American Games]] in [[Mexico City]], [[Mexico]]. She teamed up with high school star [[Nancy Lieberman]] and fellow college stars [[Ann Meyers]] and [[Pat Summitt|Pat Head]]. In the FIBA World Championship, the United States compiled a 4–3 record and finished in eighth place.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usabasketball.com/womens/national/wwc_1975.html |title=Seventh World Championship for Women – 1975 |publisher=USA Basketball |access-date=August 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130525095818/http://www.usabasketball.com/womens/national/wwc_1975.html |archive-date=May 25, 2013 }}</ref> In the Pan American Games, the United States team went unbeaten in seven games to win the [[gold medal]], their first win since [[1963 Pan American Games|1963]]. They averaged 86.7 points per game with an average winning margin of 34.4.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.usab.com/womens/panamerican/wpag_1975.html|title=Seventh Pan American Games – 1975|publisher=USA Basketball|access-date=August 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808043957/http://archive.usab.com/womens/panamerican/wpag_1975.html|archive-date=August 8, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The following year, Harris was selected to represent the United States in the [[1976 Summer Olympics]] in [[Montreal]], Canada, the first women's [[Basketball at the Summer Olympics|basketball tournament in the Olympic Games]]. She used the number seven on her Olympics jersey.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gettyimages.com.au/license/183696987|title=USA Women's Basketball vs Soviet Union, 1976 Summer Olympics|work=Sports Illustrated/Gettyimages.com|date=October 9, 2013 |access-date=June 11, 2016}}</ref> She teamed up with most of her teammates in the 1975 Pan American Games, including Lieberman, Meyers and Head. In the opening game against [[Japan women's national basketball team|Japan]], Harris scored the first ever points in women's Olympic basketball tournament.<ref name="porter"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Fc48AAAAIBAJ&pg=2322,1011673|title=First-ever women's cage action today|date=July 19, 1976|newspaper=Bangor Daily News|publisher=Bangor Publishing Company|location=Bangor, Maine|access-date=July 10, 2011}}</ref> The United States team won three games and lost two games against [[Japan women's national basketball team|Japan]] and the [[Soviet Union women's national basketball team|Soviet Union]]. The Soviet Union team went undefeated and won the gold medal, while the United States team won the [[silver medal]]. Harris played in all five games, averaging 15.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usabasketball.com/womens/national/woly_1976.html|title=Games of the XXIst Olympiad – 1976|publisher=USA Basketball|access-date=August 31, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100914203913/http://www.usabasketball.com/womens/national/woly_1976.html|archive-date=September 14, 2010}}</ref>

==Professional career==
In the seventh round of the [[1977 NBA draft]], the [[Utah Jazz|New Orleans Jazz]] selected Harris with the 137th pick overall. She became the second woman ever drafted by an NBA team, after [[Denise Long Rife|Denise Long]], who was selected by the [[San Francisco Warriors]] in the [[1969 NBA draft|1969 draft]].<ref name="oddities">{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/draft2003/draft_oddities_030619.html|title=Draft Oddities|first=Randy|last=Kim|date=June 19, 2003|work=NBA.com|publisher=Turner Sports Interactive, Inc|access-date=August 24, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030621102735/http://www.nba.com/draft2003/draft_oddities_030619.html | archive-date=June 21, 2003 | url-status=dead}}</ref> However, the league voided the Warriors' selection, thus Harris became the first and only woman ever officially drafted.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-02-10-sp-3529-story.html|title=Denise Long, the Patron Saint of Girls Basketball, Is Now 33|first=Kevin|last=Simpson|date=February 10, 1985|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=August 25, 2010}}</ref> Harris did not express an interest to play in the NBA and declined to try out for the Jazz.<ref name="kporter">{{cite book|title=Mad seasons: the story of the first Women's Professional Basketball League, 1978–1981|first=Karra|last=Porter|year=2006|publisher=University of Nebraska Press|isbn=978-0-8032-8789-1|page=157|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2pVr1zQmF64C&q=lusia&pg=PA157|access-date=August 25, 2010}}</ref> It was later revealed that she was pregnant at the time, which made her unable to attend the Jazz's training camp.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elpasotimes.com/poker/ci_12649320 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629141251/http://www.elpasotimes.com/poker/ci_12649320 |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 29, 2012 |title=NBA draft: Jazz draft woman in '77 |first=Steve |last=Luhm |date=June 20, 2009 |work=El Paso Times |publisher=MediaNews Group |access-date=August 24, 2010 }}</ref> She was selected ahead of 33 male players, including the Jazz's eighth round selection, Dave Speicher from the [[University of Toledo]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1977.html|title=1977 NBA Draft|work=basketball-reference.com|access-date=August 31, 2010}}</ref>

Harris never played in the NBA or any other men's basketball league but played professional basketball briefly in the 1979–80 season with the [[Houston Angels]] of the [[Women's Professional Basketball League]] (WBL).<ref name="kporter"/> She was initially picked as the number one free agent by the Angels in 1978, the league's inaugural season.<ref name="porter"/>

==Personal life and death==
Harris graduated from [[Delta State University]] with a bachelor's degree in health, physical education and recreation in 1977.<ref name="porter"/> After graduation, she worked for Delta State as an admissions counselor and assistant basketball coach.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gostatesmen.com/news/2009/6/12/WBB_0612094720.aspx|title=Former Lady Statesmen Lusia Harris-Stewart featured in Women's Hoops Pioneers|first=Chris|last=Maynard|date=June 12, 2009|publisher=Delta State University|access-date=August 31, 2010}}</ref> She earned a master's degree in education from Delta State in 1984. After leaving the assistant coaching post at Delta State, she served as the head coach at [[Texas Southern University]] in [[Houston]] for two years.<ref name="interview"/> She then returned to her native Mississippi where she worked as a high school teacher and coach at her alma mater [[Amanda Elzy High School]] in Greenwood, at the [[Greenville Public School District]], and at [[Ruleville Central High School]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | last = Blevins | first = Dave | title = Lusia Harris-Stewart | encyclopedia = The Sports Hall of Fame Encyclopedia: Baseball, Basketball, Football, Hockey | publisher = Scarecrow Press | year = 2012 | isbn = 9781461673705 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=a7CnkH2HIsQC&q=Ruleville+Central+High+School&pg=PA419}}</ref>

Harris married George E. Stewart on February 4, 1977.<ref name="porter" /> They had four children, two sons and twin daughters.<ref name="interview" /> She was a member of [[Delta Sigma Theta]] sorority.<ref>[https://bolivarbullet.com/remembering-a-legend/ Remembering A Legend]</ref>

Harris died at a therapy facility in [[Mound Bayou, Mississippi]], on January 18, 2022, at age 66.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sandomir|first=Richard|date=2022-01-20|title=Lusia Harris, 'Queen of Basketball,' Dies at 66|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/20/sports/basketball/lusia-harris-dead.html|access-date=2022-01-21|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="cbc2022"/>

==Legacy==
For her achievements and contributions to the Delta State University, Harris was inducted to the Delta State's Hall of Fame in 1983.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gostatesmen.com/hof.aspx?hof=31&path=&kiosk=|title=Lusia Harris-Stewart Bio|publisher=Delta State University|access-date=August 31, 2010}}</ref>  In 1992, she became the first African-American woman inducted in the [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame]].<ref name="cavs">{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/news/lbj_lusia_harris_stewat_070226.html|title=Women's Basketball Legend Lusia Harris-Stewart To Be Honored Tuesday Night|date=February 26, 2007|work=NBA.com|publisher=Turner Sports Interactive, Inc|access-date=August 31, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203064349/http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/news/lbj_lusia_harris_stewat_070226.html|archive-date=December 3, 2010}}</ref> In 1999, Harris, along with her college coach, [[Margaret Wade (basketball coach)|Margaret Wade]], and her teammates in the [[United States women's national basketball team|national team]], [[Nancy Lieberman]], [[Ann Meyers]] and [[Pat Summitt|Pat Head]], were among the 26 inaugural inductees to the [[Women's Basketball Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/16/sports/basketball-college-women-women-s-hall-of-fame-conradt-leads-26-inductees.html|title=Conradt Leads 26 Inductees|date=November 16, 1998|work=The New York Times |access-date=August 31, 2010}}</ref> She has also been named to the [[International Women's Sports Hall of Fame]].<ref name="wsf"/>

''[[The Queen of Basketball]]'', a film about Harris, won the 2022 [[Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject)]]; it was produced and directed by Canadian filmmaker [[Ben Proudfoot]], with [[Shaquille O'Neal]] and [[Stephen Curry]] as executive producers.<ref name="cbc2022">{{cite news |title=Canadian director's Oscar-nominated film shines a light on 'Queen of Basketball' Lusia Harris |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/fleeing-ukraine-twisted-sister-s-dee-snider-batman-movies-ranked-pandemic-travel-tips-and-more-1.6373164/canadian-director-s-oscar-nominated-film-shines-a-light-on-queen-of-basketball-lusia-harris-1.6389912 |access-date=21 March 2022 |work=Day 6 |publisher=CBC Radio |date=20 March 2022}}</ref><ref name="ap-cbc">{{cite news |title=NBA greats O'Neal, Curry win Oscar for documentary on basketball legend Lusia Harris |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/basketball/nba/shaq-curry-win-oscars-for-queen-of-basketball-documentary-1.6399538 |access-date=28 March 2022 |agency=The Associated Press |publisher=CBC Sports |date=27 March 2022}}</ref> It was released June 10, 2021, seven months before her death.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-06-14 |title="The Queen Of Basketball" Documentary to Premiere on NYTimes.com on June 29 |url=https://www.nytco.com/press/the-queen-of-basketball-documentary-to-premiere-on-nytimes-com-on-june-29/ |access-date=2022-03-28 |website=The New York Times Company |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
*[https://nbahoopsonline.com/Players/LusiaHarris.html Lusia Harris became the first women drafted by an NBA team] NBAHoopsOnline
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090831070444/http://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/tag/lusia-harris-stewart Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Profile]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150919085522/http://www.wbhof.com/harris.html Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Profile]
*[https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/29/opinion/lusia-harris-basketball-nba.amp.html Meet the First Woman Officially Drafted by the N.B.A.] The New York Times online

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Lusia}}
[[Category:1955 births]]
[[Category:2022 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American women]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American women]]
[[Category:African-American basketball coaches]]
[[Category:All-American college women's basketball players]]
[[Category:American women's basketball coaches]]
[[Category:American women's basketball players]]
[[Category:Basketball players at the 1975 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Basketball players at the 1976 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Basketball players from Mississippi]]
[[Category:Centers (basketball)]]
[[Category:Delta State Lady Statesmen basketball coaches]]
[[Category:Delta State Lady Statesmen basketball players]]
[[Category:High school basketball coaches in Mississippi]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1975 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1976 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:New Orleans Jazz draft picks]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for the United States in basketball]]
[[Category:Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in basketball]]
[[Category:People with bipolar disorder]]
[[Category:People from Minter City, Mississippi]]
[[Category:Texas Southern Tigers women's basketball coaches]]
[[Category:United States women's national basketball team players]]
[[Category:Women's Professional Basketball League players]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportswomen]]