Big Night for Curry

Curry served as an executive producer for the short film, which tells the story of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer who is considered a pioneer of the women’s game. Harris led Delta State University to three consecutive national championships, then later led the United States to a silver medal at the Montreal Olympics in 1976. The following year, she was selected by the New Orleans Jazz in the seventh round of the NBA Draft — the first woman ever to do so — but never got the chance to make the roster as she became pregnant the following year.

Curry worked on the film through his company, Unanimous Media. He and co-founder Erick Peyton released a statement when they joined the project praising Harris, who died in January.

“Lucy, a true pioneer in the game of basketball and an inspiration for many, deserves to be recognized for her achievements,” the pair said, via The Hollywood Reporter. “Through this compelling short subject documentary, her legacy will continue to live on and impact audiences all over the world.”

Curry’s production company has been involved in a number of other projects, including a major partnership with NBC Universal.

“The wide-ranging deal with NBC Universal will also see Curry work on scripted and unscripted TV projects, NBC and CNBC, and Dreamworks Animation, among many areas,” The Athletic wrote. “Additionally, he will help reboot the network’s public service announcement series ‘The More You Know.’”

Fellow NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal also served as an executive producer on “Queen of Basketball,” and they now join the late Kobe Bryant as NBA greats who also produced Oscar-winning short films.

Curry Promotes Women’s Basketball

The short film is the latest effort from the Warriors star to recognize and promote women in basketball. He has been a regular part of the team’s efforts to honor Women’s Empowerment Month in March, and in 2018 launched a camp exclusively for women’s basketball players.

Curry wrote an op-ed for The Player’s Tribune at the time the camp first launched, saying that his wife and daughters opened his eyes to the issue of women’s equality and inspired him to do more to help achieve it.

“I want our girls to grow up knowing that there are no boundaries that can be placed on their futures, period,” he wrote. “I want them to grow up in a world where their gender does not feel like a rulebook for what they should think, or be, or do. And I want them to grow up believing that they can dream big, and strive for careers where they’ll be treated fairly.”

Curry has helped to bring Harris’s story to the forefront beyond the short film, wearing sneakers with the phrase “Queen Lucy” to a game earlier this month.

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