Executive produced by NBA superstar Steph Curry and NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, The Queen of Basketball won the Best Documentary Short award at the Oscars. The short documentary chronicles the life of Lusia Harris, the woman who scored the first basket in Olympic women’s basketball history and the first woman officially drafted by an NBA team.
Ben Proudfoot directed the short, which educated die-hard basketball fans about the trailblazer. Told mostly in her voice, Lusia takes viewers through her life story highlighting the highs – groundbreaking basketball career and lows, a bipolar diagnosis, nervous breakdown, loss of confidence and self-redemption.
The story is as much about Lusia’s struggles as a Black woman born in the Mississippi Delta breaking all types of societal barriers as it is about Harris’ contribution to the game of basketball. Harris, who passed away recently, energetically tells viewers her life story and proudest moments, all of which are not related to her fantastic basketball career.
Grab your popcorn and a tissue and watch history unfold through the eyes of the Queen of Basketball, Lusia Harris.
This article was written by Nsenga K. Burton, founder & editor-in-chief of the award-winning news site The Burton Wire. Follow Nsenga on Twitter @Ntellectual.
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