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Women's basketball pioneer Lusia Harris dies at 66

Harris Lucy 1440.jpeg
Posted at 11:20 AM, Jan 20, 2022
and last updated 2022-01-20 11:20:49-05

Women's basketball pioneer Lusia Harris has died at the age of 66.

According to the Associated Press, Harris passed away in Mississippi.

Harris was the only woman to be officially drafted by an NBA team and scored the first points in women's basketball history at the Olympics.

USA Basketball said in a press release that she was the 137th overall pick by the New Orleans Jazz in 1977.

The AP reported that she didn't try out for the team because she was pregnant at the time.

Harris helped Delta State University win three straight national titles in the 1970s and earned a silver medal for the United States at the Montreal Olympics in 1976.

She still holds the school’s all-time scoring and rebounds record with 2,981 points and 1,662 rebounds.

In 1992, Harris became the first Black woman to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

In 1999, she was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.