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Lusia Harris dominated women’s basketball during an era when professional opportunities barely existed.

 

Leading Delta State University to three national championships, she later scored the first basket in Olympic women’s basketball history during the 1976 Games, where she won gold.

 

In 1977, Harris became the only woman ever officially drafted by an NBA team. Her career helped legitimize women’s basketball on the global stage and laid the groundwork for the professional leagues and opportunities that would emerge decades later.