Three-time NBA Champion and two-time MVP Stephen Curry has joined forces with basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal to support the Academy Award nominated short subject documentary, "The Queen of Basketball" as executive producer.
Stephen Curry and Shaquille O’Neal team up to support Lusia ‘Lucy’ Harris documentary
Golden State Warriors’ guard reportedly signed on to join retired NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal as an executive producer of the 22-minute documentary, directed by Ben Proudfoot, that tells the story of one of the greatest women’s basketball players ever. It is nominated for Best Documentary Short Subject at this year’s Oscars.
“We’re honored to join the talented team behind The Queen of Basketball and play a role in uplifting the story of the trailblazing Lucy Harris,” Curry and Erick Peyton of Unanimous Media said in a statement. “Lucy, a true pioneer in the game of basketball and an inspiration for many, deserves to be recognized for her achievements. Through this compelling short subject documentary, her legacy will continue to live on and impact audiences all over the world.”
O’Neal added. “I’m thrilled to have him join the team to help immortalize Lusia Harris, aka ‘The Queen of Basketball.”
Lusia Mae Harris, passed away two months ago on (January 18, 2022), the first and only woman ever to be officially drafted by the NBA. However, she ultimately played for the Houston Angels with the WNBA. In 1992, she became the first Black woman inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Internationally, the 66-year-old played for the U.S. team at the 1976 Olympic Games, the first-ever Olympic women’s basketball tournament, where she won the silver medal.
Harris was a championship basketball player who led Delta State University to three straight national titles in the 1970s. Nabbing 2,981 points and 1,662 rebounds, she remains the school’s all-time scoring leader.
She was named to the United States Olympic Women’s Basketball team in 1976, which was the first time women competed in the sport at the Olympic level. Harris scored the first points in the first game and was instrumental in leading the U.S. squad to a silver medal.
Harris was also the first woman to be drafted into the NBA, but she did not move forward in the process because she was expecting her first child. Inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992, Harris was the first Black woman to receive that honor. She was later inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.
“The Queen of Basketball” is currently streaming on nytimes.com and The New York Times YouTube channel.