In 1977, Lusia Harris became the first woman to officially be drafted by an NBA team.
Lusia"Lucy" Harris, a bona fide basketball legend and the only woman to be officially drafted by an NBA team, died on Jan. 18 at the age of 66. A generational athlete who broke barriers in her sport, many are just now learning of Harris's incredible journey from the daughter of sharecroppers to the Olympic Games and beyond.
Harris was born in Minter City, MS, one of eleven children, and grew up idolizing basketball players like Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar."I wanted to grow up and have my own family, and I wanted to shoot that ball just like they were shooting," Harris said in a 2021When I got the ball, I knew my job was to score. And more than likely, I would score.
Harris chose Delta State University for college because the school had a women's basketball team, recently formed after the passage of Title IX. The only Black player on the team, Harris helped lead Delta State to three straight national championships from 1975 to 1977. She still holds Delta State records for career points and rebounds , and averaged a jaw-dropping 63.3 percent from the field.
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