Who is the Only Woman Ever Drafted by the NBA? Taking a Look at Lusia Harris’ Basketball Career

Lusia Harris was the first and the only woman to ever be drafted by a team in the NBA. The 3× AIAW champion was also the one to score the first two points in Women’s Basketball history at the Olympics. The ‘Queen of Basketball’, Harris, passed away on January 19, 2022 at the age of 66. Let’s have a closer look at her career. 

Lusia Harris made it into the league by being drafted in the seventh round by the New Orleans Jazz back in the 1977 NBA draft. She didn’t try out for the team since she was pregnant at the time.

Harris started her basketball journey with Delta State University back in the 1970s, where she averaged 25.9 points and 14.4 rebounds per game. She brought home the national title thrice during her time with Delta State. To this day, Harris holds the record for most points and rebounds in the school’s history scoring 2,981 points and 1,662 rebounds, while also earning a silver model for the nation at the Montreal Olympics back in 1976. 

During that year, Harris had her highest average, putting up 31.2 points and 15.1 rebounds per game. She led Delta State to a 109-6 record during her tenure with the team. She also graduated with 15 Delta State team, single game, and career records.

After hanging her sneakers, Lusia tried her hand at coaching but did not have the same success as she did on the court. Harris’ coaching career only spanned from 1984 to ‘86 when she coached at Texas Southern with a 15-34 overall record and a .306 W-L% over the two years.

Lusia Harris, the Queen of Basketball

Harris played five games at the Montreal Olympics in 1976. The 6’2 center averaged 15.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game to bring home with a silver Olympic medal. 

Lusia Harris was enshrined into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992. She became the first Black woman to ever earn that honor. Harris was later inducted into the Women Basketball’s Hall of Fame in 1999.

The Queen of Basketball, Lusia Harris got that label in 2021 when a short film with the same title made its debut. She paved the way for women in the sport while also scoring the first-ever points in Olympic history. While many may not know or have heard about Lusia Harris, the real ones know who the Queen of Basketball was.