"Every time I see a legend, I always tell them, 'Thank you'" – Shaquille O’Neal talks about his respect for NBA legends like Lusia Harris and Wilt Chamberlain

Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal was recently interviewed by Tyler Coates of “The Hollywood Reporter,” to discuss the documentary "The Queen of Basketball." As an executive producer, O'Neal brought the story of Lusia “Lucy” Harris to the world in the form of a documentary that launched in June 2021.

The documentary delves into the life of one of the greatest women basketball players, Lucy Harris. She helped Delta State University win three straight national titles in the 1970s.

Harris is also famous for being the first women's basketball player to score in the Olympics. This happened in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, in the opening match against Japan.

Shaquille O’Neal talked about how her story inspired him:

“You hear a lot of great women’s names (in basketball history). They’re kind of around my era, maybe a little bit before my era. But when people talk about the greatest, it’s like, “Who’s this Lucy lady?” I actually saw the film, and it fills in a huge gap in the history of basketball by telling a story that all of us need to think about and consider.”

Harris made history in 1977 when the New Orleans Jazz selected her in the NBA draft. It was unheard of, for a woman to draw attention from a men’s league. She had to reject the tryout for the Jazz, because she was pregnant at the time.

However, she earned a silver medal for her country in the 1976 Olympics and briefly played for the Houston Angels of the Women’s Professional Basketball League. For her achievements, Harris was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. Often considered a pioneer in women's sport, Harris died Tuesday at the age of 66.

Shaquille O’Neal respects Lucy Harris and other legends for paving the way

In the same interview, Shaquille O’Neal even threw light on the hardships the players of previous generations had to face. Speaking about Lucy Harris and the how things were when she played basketball, O’Neal said:

“Because of the time she lived in … she was a woman athlete, a Black woman athlete and she’s been historically shortchanged and denied opportunities. We just want the world to know (she) was the greatest ever. I just want women, especially female athletes, to see this.”

The NBA has changed with time, gaining a lot of popularity and increase in player salaries. The amount of money even role players are paid is humongous, compared to decades earlier. When O’Neal was asked about today’s players taking things for granted, he said:

“A lot of people take things for granted. Every time I see a legend, I always tell them, 'Thank you.' Look, I had it easy, and I know they didn’t always have it so easy. (Once I was) sitting next to Charles Barkley, and he said the most he ever made (in a season) was $5 million. And he’s one of the greatest players ever.”

O’Neal added other NBA legends to the list, saying:

“Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) made less than that. How can a guy with 11 championships make less than a million dollars? Now, you got some of these guys making 200, 300 million dollars. Those are the ones that need to be thanking people like Lucy, Wilt and Kareem. That’s why I thank them all of the time, and I thanked them by releasing this film.”

The "Queen of Basketball" has surely got its recognition, after being shortlisted for an Oscar nomination. The story it shares will be an inspiration for women in sports.