House Resolution 82

(As Adopted by House)

A RESOLUTION HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF LUSIA "LUCY" MAE HARRIS STEWART, THE FIRST AND ONLY WOMAN OFFICIALLY DRAFTED BY AN NBA TEAM, AND EXPRESSING DEEP SYMPATHY UPON HER DEATH.

WHEREAS, Mississippi and the world lost a piece of history on January 18, 2022, when Lusia "Lucy" Mae Harris Stewart, the only woman to be officially drafted by the NBA transitioned to life eternal, much to the sadness of her friends and family; and

WHEREAS, Lucy was a talented and skilled basketball player who led Delta State University women's basketball team to its first national title in 1975, followed by two consecutive national championship wins in 1976 and 1977; and

WHEREAS, she was a three-time All-American who also won the first Broderick Cup (now the Honda-Broderick Cup) in 1977, which is awarded to the top female college athlete in the country; and

WHEREAS, in 1976, Lucy was chosen to participate in the first-ever United States Olympic women's basketball team and scored the first basket by a woman in Olympic history at the Montreal Games; and

WHEREAS, in 1977, the NBA made a historic move and drafted Lucy to play for the New Orleans Jazz, now Utah Jazz, in the 7th round, and to this day, she remains the first and only woman officially drafted by an NBA team; and

WHEREAS, Lucy was not only a famed athlete, she was also a scholar who earned both a bachelor's degree in 1977, and a master's degree in 1984 from Delta State University, where she would also serve as an assistant coach for four years; and

WHEREAS, in 1992, Harris became the first Black woman and one of the first two female players named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame; and

WHEREAS, later in her life, Lucy was respectfully referred to as Coach Harris as she spent two years as head women's coach at Texas Southern University, then taught and coached in high schools in Mississippi into the early 2000s; and

WHEREAS, in May 2014, Harris was bestowed an honorary doctorate degree from Delta State University; and

WHEREAS, Harris was featured in the award-winning documentary, "The Queen of Basketball"; and

WHEREAS, to cherish her memory and honor her legacy, she leaves two sons, George Eddie Stewart, Jr., and Christopher Stewart, and two daughters, Crystal Stewart Washington and Christina Jordan, and a host of family, friends and loved ones; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to honor the lives of scholarly athletes, such as Lusia "Lucy" Mae Harris Stewart, whose historic moves have brought great honor to the State of Mississippi:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby honor the life and legacy of Ms. Lusia "Lucy" Mae Harris Stewart, the first woman officially drafted into the NBA, and express our deepest sympathy upon her passing.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to the family of Mrs. Lusia "Lucy" Mae Harris Stewart and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.