Hidden Figures: Lusia Harris #BlackHERstoryMonth 1/28 (Patreon)

Hidden Figures: Lusia Harris #BlackHERstoryMonth 1/28

If you enjoy my work, please consider supporting! CashApp: $SerenSensei Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seren_sensei All Patrons get access to the Discord server! NEW MERCH SHOP: https://the-bheezebake-project.creator-spring.com Lusia Harris (February 10, 1955 - January 18, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who is considered to be one of the pioneers of women's basketball. A powerful center, she played for Delta State University, and with them achieved three consecutive championships from 1975 to 1977. She won the silver medal in the 1976 Olympic Games; played professional basketball with the Houston Angels of the Women's Professional Basketball League; and was the first and only woman ever officially drafted by the NBA. For her achievements, Harris has been inducted to many basketball memorials, including the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. Six foot three and known as a dominant, aggressive player, in high school Harris won the most valuable player award three years in a row, served as team captain, and made the state All-Star basketball team. After her high school graduation, she was recruited to play for Delta State University. She led them to three consecutive Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women National Championships, the precursor to the NCAA, being named the tournament's most valuable player. In 1977, she won the inaugural Honda Sports Award for basketball, as well as the Broderick Cup, an award for outstanding female athletes in college. In 1975, Harris was selected to the Pan American Games in Mexico City, Mexico, where the United States team went unbeaten to win the gold medal. The following year, Harris was selected to represent the United States in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada, the first women's basketball tournament in the Olympic Games. Harris scored the first ever points in women's Olympic basketball, and the US team would go on to win the silver medal. In the seventh round of the 1977 NBA draft, the New Orleans Jazz (now Utah Jazz) selected Harris. Harris declined to try out for the Jazz, and it was later revealed that she was pregnant at the time, which made her unable to attend training camp. While Harris never played in the NBA, she did play professional basketball in the 1979–80 season with the Houston Angels of the Women's Professional Basketball League. Harris died at a therapy facility in Mound Bayou on January 18, 2022, at the age of 66. A three-time All-American, she was inducted to the Delta State's Hall of Fame in 1983; in 1992 she became the first Black American woman inducted in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame; and in 1999, she was inducted to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. She has also been named to the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame. In 2007, she was honored by LeBron James’s James Family Foundation for her work as an educator and coach, and because of her groundbreaking achievements in women’s sports. #LusiaHarris #HiddenFigures ****************** Merchandise! MAKE SURE U GETTA SHIRT!! https://www.teepublic.com/user/sssseren https://www.shophouseof950.com/embroidery-tees/theblackamericans https://www.shophouseof950.com/embroidery-tees/dacs?rq=d.a.c.s Follow me on social media! Instagram: @sensei_aishitemasu Personal Tumblr: http://sensei-aishitemasu.tumblr.com Tumblr for my work: https://sssseren.tumblr.com Snapchat: sssseren GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/tc5wh7q ****************** Did you know I wrote a book? ☺️ 'So, About That... A Year of Contemporary Essays on Race and Pop Culture' Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/About-That-Contemporary-Essays-Culture-ebook/dp/B013V0CHK6 Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013V0CHK6 Digital download (e-book): https://gumroad.com/l/IkUa ****************** Links: The Queen of Basketball: When the N.B.A. Officially Drafted a Woman (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPFkcoTfr7g 'Shaquille O’Neal Announces Free L.A.-Area Screenings Of ‘The Queen Of Basketball,’ In Honor Of Late Hoops Star:' https://deadline.com/2022/01/the-queen-of-basketball-free-screenings-ep-shaquille-oneal-director-ben-proudfoot-new-york-times-op-doc-news-1234920808/ 'Delta State should rename Walter Sillers Coliseum:' https://www.jackcentral.org/sports/delta-state-should-rename-walter-sillers-coliseum/article_e2c48968-7ee0-11ec-be8d-6f74d43c8a6b.html LUSIA HARRIS STEWART: https://gostatesmen.com/honors/hall-of-fame/lusia-harris-stewart/31 'Former Lady Statesmen Lusia Harris-Stewart featured in Women's Hoops Pioneers:' https://gostatesmen.com/news/2009/6/12/WBB_0612094720 Lusia Harris-Stewart: https://mississippiencyclopedia.org/entries/lusia-harris-stewart/ 'Lusia Harris, Queen of Basketball, Dies at 66:' https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/20/sports/basketball/lusia-harris-dead.html? Lusia Harris (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lusia_Harris