A ball of fire on the court, Lynette Woodard left an imprint in basketball history by becoming the first female member of the world famous Harlem Globetrotters in 1985.
A Wichita, Kan. native born August 12, 1959, Woodard began playing basketball as a pre-teen with lessons from her older brother. She was a standout high school athlete receiving national attention as an All-American.
Woodard attended the University of Kansas (KU) where she was a stellar athlete for the women’s basketball team all four years. To this day, she is the leading scorer in women’s college basketball with 3,649 points.
In 1980, Woodard earned a spot on the 1980 Olympic women’s basketball team. However, due to the United States-led 1980 Olympic boycott, she was unable to compete. She returned to KU and graduated in 1981.
Three years after graduating, Woodard was selected for the 1984 Olympic basketball team, helping her team win the gold medal—the first time for team USA women’s basketball.
Looking to expand their fan base and gain popularity, the Harlem Globetrotters sought the addition of a female player to their roster. Woodard made the team after a competitive tryout process. She traveled with the club for two years and played an equal amount of time as her male teammates.
Woodard continued playing basketball overseas in Italy and Japan from the late-1980s to early-1990s. Before retiring, she joined the newly formed WNBA in 1997, playing with the Cleveland Rockers and the Detroit Shock one season each.
Since leaving the court as a player, Woodard has been inducted into numerous hall of fames including: the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame (1990), the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2002), and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (2005).
For Woodard’s untouchable basketball legacy, her story is iconic in Black sports history.
(Image courtesy of Biography.com)
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