Shaquille O’Neal will be hosting free screenings of The Queen of Basketball in LA on Jan. 29 and 30 in honor of the late basketball trailblazer Lusia “Lucy” Harris.
According to Deadline, the free screenings will show at noon on Saturday and Sunday at five Laemmle Theatres: Laemmle Glendale, Laemmle Town Center 5 in Encino, Laemmle NoHo 7 in North Hollywood, Laemmle Monica Film Center, and Laemmle Pasadena Playhouse 7. Tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
O’Neal served as an executive producer on The Queen of Basketball, directed by Oscar-nominated director Ben Proudfoot.
“I am extremely saddened at the sudden loss of the unsung legend and fearless trailblazer, Ms. Lucy Harris. I just wanted to share her story on the big screen for everyone to see and be inspired by like I was,” he reportedly said in a statement. “Ms. Harris’ story should be required viewing for all Americans. I hope folks will bring their families to these screenings. It’s time to remember her name. Long live the Queen.”
Proudfoot spoke to Deadline just a few days before Harris passed away on Jan. 18 and expressed how important he felt she was to the world. “With Lucy’s story, you just can’t turn away from the fact that she was absolutely preeminent. She was absolutely extraordinary. She was a pioneer. By all accounts, one of the greatest basketball players of her time, male or female.”
He added that her accomplishments had been forgotten due to racial and gender discrimination during her time. The WNBA didn’t exist yet for women like her to showcase their talents.
The Queen of Basketball is a 26-minute documentary about Harris’ successful sports career and personal life.
Harris was a Delta University sports star, Olympic medalist, and the first woman to be drafted into the National Basketball Association. The New Orleans Jazz reportedly drafted her in 1977, but she declined the offer because she was pregnant.
The Mississippi native assisted Delta in winning three national championships in the 1970s, and in 1976, she earned a silver medal for the U.S. at the Montreal Olympics. She was the first woman to score in an Olympic basketball competition.
In 1992, Harris was the first Black woman inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Seven years later, in 1999, she was honored by the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
