MIES (Switzerland) - This is how Lusia Harris was introduced in "The Queen of Basketball," a documentary produced by Shaquille O'Neal and Stephen Curry.
Lusia grew up in a humble community in Minter City, and her parents were sharecroppers who instilled in her the values of hard work and perseverance. An old, dilapidated basketball hoop became the heart of her neighborhood, a gathering place where dreams quietly took shape. An old television served as her window to the wider basketball world, where she discovered legends such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, and her favorite player, FIBA Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson. Her dream soon became reality. Lusia grew into an unstoppable force on the court: tall, powerful, well-coordinated, and gifted with a natural scoring instinct. Yet beyond her athletic dominance, she stood out for her humility and strong character. She led her team to three consecutive high school championships, earned three MVP honors, and completed an extraordinary college career with a 109–6 win-loss record; achievements that cemented her place among the game’s greats.
Lusia was a pioneer in women's basketball; her teammates described her as “one in a million.” Her name is forever etched in history as the scorer of the very first basket in the women’s Olympic basketball tournament at the 1976 Games, a symbolic moment that marked a new era for the sport on the world stage.
At just 22 years old, Lusia chose to step away from basketball, turning toward family life and finding peace away from the spotlight. Behind her remarkable but brief career was a broader struggle for recognition, equality, and respect for women in sport.
Off the court, she also faced personal battles, including long-term mental health challenges, which she confronted with the same quiet strength that defined her life. The documentary "The Queen of Basketball" won the 2022 Oscar for Best Short Documentary just a few months after her passing at the age of 66. Her gaze, smile, and tone of voice in this delightful documentary are the perfect example of how deeply the values of basketball can resonate with a person.
About the FIBA Foundation
The FIBA Foundation is the social and legacy arm of FIBA that addresses the role of sports, particularly basketball, in society, preserving and promoting basketball’s values and its cultural heritage.
FIBA’s cultural heritage is the heart of the FIBA Foundation’s cultural and historical activities. It is one of the driving forces behind the promotion and dissemination of FIBA’s values.