Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry and NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal can add Academy Award winners to their already-glittering résumés.
The pair took home an Oscar tonight as Executive Producers for the short subject documentary "Queen of Basketball" — which chronicles the story of Lusia Haris, the first and only woman officially drafted by an NBA team.
Harris, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, made history in 1977 when the New Orleans Jazz selected her in the NBA Draft. She reportedly didn't try out for the team because she was pregnant at the time.
"When I saw [the film], it kind of made me cry,” Shaq told Deadline in January, “I said to myself, ‘I got to do whatever it takes to bring this story to the world."
QUEEN OF BASKETBALL has won the #OSCAR for Best Documentary Short Subject!
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) March 27, 2022
The documentary is about Lusia Harris, the first woman to be officially drafted by an NBA team. It was executive produced by Shaq & Steph Curry. pic.twitter.com/cVSDOTO43Z
Her trailblazing story serves as an inspiration for athletes everywhere, with director Ben Proudfoot using the film to educate fans of her "extraordinary" life.
“If there is anyone out there who doubts that there is an audience for female athletes and questions whether their stories are valuable or entertaining or important...let this Academy Award be the answer,” Proudfoot said as he accepted the award at the Los Angeles ceremony.
Harris passed away in January, three weeks before the film received its nomination, however, she was able to screen the premiere of the film at the Tribeca Film Festival last year.
She helped Delta State University win three straight national championships in the 1970s and earned a silver medal for the United States at the Montreal Olympics in 1976, where she scored the first basket in Olympic women’s basketball history.
O'Neal and Curry follow in the footsteps of Kobe Bryant, who became the first NBA player to win an Oscar in 2018 for Best Animated Short Film with "Dear Basketball."
In 2021, Kevin Durant and Mike Conley Jr. were Executive Producers on the film 'Two Distant Strangers' which won the Academy Award for the 'Best Live Action Short Film'.
