More and more current and former NBA stars get involved in promoting women’s sports — among them, Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal.
O’Neal has teamed up with Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry to promote New York Times-produced short documentary “The Queen of Basketball.” The movie tells the story of Lusia “Lucy” Harris, the late women’s basketball pioneer who remains the only ever female player officially drafted by an NBA team.
“From the beginning, our hope for The Queen of Basketball was to help close the gap between Ms. Harris’ significance and how many people know her name – and in so doing draw everyone’s attention to the existing inequities in the game,” said director Ben Proudfoot.
“Ms. Harris’ soft-spoken testimony has echoed and amplified to what is now a veritable movement led by two of the most dominant and well-respected basketball players of all time.”
O’Neal and Curry are joining the project as executive producers, hoping to use their platform to provide the documentary with a wider audience.
“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,” said Curry and Erick Peyton, co-founders of Unanimous Media.
“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.”
And O’Neal added: “Stephen Curry is one of the NBA’s most iconic players whose voice speaks volumes on and off the court. I’m thrilled to have him join the team to help immortalize Lusia Harris aka The Queen of Basketball.”
Utah Jazz selected Harris with their 137th overall pick in 1977, but she never got to try out for the team due to pregnancy. She briefly represented the former Women’s Professional Basketball League franchise Houston Angels before starting her coaching career.
In college, Harris won three consecutive Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) national championships, the predecessors to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition, between 1975-1977.
She also scored the first-ever point in the history of women’s Olympic basketball, winning the silver medal with Team USA in 1976.
“The Queen of Basketball” received an Oscar nomination in the short-subject Documentary category. The 94th Academy Awards will take place on March 27 in L.A.
Vanessa Bryant presented Chris Paul with first Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award
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Chris Paul has become the first recipient of the honor. Vanessa Bryant presented the Suns star with the award during the 2022 All-Star Game in Cleveland.
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