Lusia Harris, one of the most acclaimed female basketball players of the 1970s, who led Mississippi’s Delta State University. Today we will discuss about Lusia Harris: Cause of death| NBA Draft| Height| Is still alive
Lusia Harris: Cause of death| NBA Draft| Height| Is still alive
Lucia Harris (February 10, 1955 – January 18, 2022) was an American basketball player. Harris is considered one of the pioneers of women’s basketball. She played for Delta State University and won three consecutive Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) National Championships, the predecessor of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships, from 1975 to 1977. At the international level, he represented the United States. national team and won a silver medal at the 1976 Olympic Games, the first women’s basketball tournament at the Olympic Games. She played professional basketball with the Houston Angels of the Women’s Professional Basketball League (WBL) and was the first and only woman to be officially drafted into a men’s professional basketball league by the National Basketball Association (NBA). For her achievements, Harris was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | February 10, 1955 Minter City, Mississippi |
Died | January 18, 2022 (aged 66) Greenwood, Mississippi |
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Amanda Elzy (Greenwood, Mississippi) |
College | Delta State (1973–1977) |
NBA draft | 1977 / Round: 7 / Pick: 137th overall |
Selected by the New Orleans Jazz | |
Position | Center |
Career history | |
1979–1980 | Houston Angels |
Cause of death
Harris’s death was confirmed on January 18 by multiple sources, including journalists Howard Magdale and Ann Meyers Drysdale, vice president of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury.
AnnMeyers tells me Lucia Harris has died,” Magdal tweeted. “The great Delta State Big led his team to three straight AIAW titles. He is a Hall of Famer and a true legend of the game.”
Despite being confirmed, a reason was not immediately issued.
NBA Draft
Hall of Famer Lucia Harris, the only woman officially drafted by an NBA team, has died at the age of 66
Harris made history in 1977 when the New Orleans Jazz selected her in the NBA Draft, making her the only woman to be officially drafted by an NBA team.
Lucia Harris died Tuesday at the age of 66, the basketball legend’s family announced.
The family said in a statement, “We are deeply saddened to share the news that our angel, matriarch, sister, mother, grandmother, Olympic medalist, queen of basketball, Lucia Harris has unexpectedly passed away today. Died in Mississippi.”
“Ms Harris has been overjoyed in recent months, given the news of her youngest son’s upcoming wedding and the recognition she recently received from a documentary that brought worldwide attention to her story.”
In college, Harris led Delta State to three consecutive AIAW championships. She made history in 1977 when the New Orleans Jazz selected her in the NBA Draft, making her the only woman to be officially drafted by an NBA team.
Delta State University, where Harris won three consecutive national crowns while in college, also confirmed his death. Her height is 1.76m.
The cause of Harris’s death has not yet been disclosed. Harris has been called by the school “one of the best women’s basketball players to ever grace the court”.
Lucia Harris Age, Family, Early Life
Lucia Harris was 66 when she died. He was born on 10 February 1955 in Minter City, Mississippi. She was born to her parents, Ethel Harris and Willie Harris.
His father was a farmer. She is the fourth of five daughters and the tenth of eleven children raised in Greenwood, Mississippi. Her brother and one older sister, Jenny, were all basketball players.
Is still alive
Lucia Harris, who became the only woman to be officially drafted by an NBA team and scored the first point in women’s basketball history at the Olympics, died Tuesday, her family announced. She was 66 years old.
The family said in a statement, “We are deeply saddened to share the news that our angel, matriarch, sister, mother, grandmother, Olympic medalist, queen of basketball, Lucia Harris has unexpectedly passed away today. Died in Mississippi.” “Ms Harris has been overjoyed in recent months, given the news of her youngest son’s upcoming wedding and the recognition she recently received from a documentary that brought worldwide attention to her story.”
Harris, who died in her native Mississippi, was drafted by the New Orleans Jazz in the seventh round in 1977, but did not try out for the team because she was pregnant at the time. The San Francisco Warriors tried to draft Dennis Long in 1969, but the NBA blocked it because she didn’t meet the drafting criteria—partly because of her gender.