In Memoriam: Lusia Harris, first woman drafted by the NBA, dies at 66

Lusia Harris, the first and only woman drafted in the NBA, has died at the age of 66, her alma mater Delta State announced Tuesday.

She died in her native Mississippi.

Lusia Harris death

“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,” Harris’ family said 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.”

A trailblazer

A trailblazer in basketball, Harris was officially drafted by an NBA team and scored the first basket in women’s Olympic basketball history.

The center played collegeiately for Delta State, leading the team to three straight AIAW national titles from 1975-1977.

Harris averaged 25.9 points and 14.4 rebounds at Delta State, lifting the team to a 109-6 record during her time there. She’s still the school’s all-time leader in scoring (2,981 points) and rebounding (1,662).

She was named to the U.S. women’s national team in 1975 and went on to play in the 1976 Olympics — the first year women’s basketball was included in the Games.

The following year, she was selected by the New Orleans Jazz with the 137th pick of the 1977 NBA Draft, but declined to try out for the team — she was pregnant at the time.

Harris was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992, becoming one of the two first women to enter the hall alongside Nera White.

She was the subject of a June 2021 documentary short titled “The Queen of Basketball” debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival.