The name of Lusia Harris may not mean anything to you, but he will forever be in the annals of American basketball. The former player died at the age of 66 earlier this week, her family announced.
Harris was a member of the Hall of Fame for his prowess at Delta State University, his Olympic medal with Team USA in 1976, his accomplishments in the WBL, the ancestor of the WNBA, but also… his one and only status. woman officially drafted in the NBA.
In 1977, eight years after the league overturned the Warriors’ selection of Denise Long, Lusia Harris was selected 137th in the draft by the New Orleans Jazz. The young woman, then aged 22, will never have the opportunity to defend her chances in a training camp, since we will learn later that she was pregnant at that time.
Six months ago, the New York Times devoted a documentary to her entitled “The Queen of Basketball”, where she explained the tumult that surrounded this selection and looked back on her fascinating journey.
Scooby-Doo, Bruce Jenner and a pregnant player: the improbable Draft 77
