Produced by Shaquille O’Neal and Stephen Curry, “The Queen of Basketball” won the Oscar for best documentary short. But who is the “queen of basketball” ?
Lusia Harris, called "Lucy"
The short documentary, retraces in about 20 minutes the career of Lusia Harris, an outstanding basketball player who was the first in more than one field in her time! The first woman to be offically drafted by a men’s basketball team, in NBA (the New Orleans Jazz), or even the first woman to score a basket in the Olympics in 1977.
A word from the director :
Ben Proudfoot, who directed “The Queen of Basketball” explains in an interview that many people have never heard of her, despite her incredible career as a basketball player.
“There were a lot of raised eyebrows and wide eyes hearing Lusia’s story. Her list of accomplishments is pretty amazing so it begs to question, ‘why haven’t we heard this story before?’ Which is the question I have. I don’t have a definitive answer. In large part because she stopped playing but also because she’s an African American woman from the Mississippi Delta. The hope of this film is to help close this gap for Ms. Harris so every American knows her name.”
"If there are still people who doubt that there is an audience for female athletes and still question whether their stories are worthy of being told, or important, let this Oscar be the answer."
The Queen of Basketball Lusia Harris!!
The documentary “The Queen of Basketball” produced by Shaquille O’Neal and Stephen Curry is a must-watch for any basketball fan. It tells the story of Lusia Harris, an outstanding player who was the first woman to be officially drafted by an NBA team, the New Orleans Jazz, and the first woman to score a basket in the Olympics in 1977.