Ora Washington

Ora Belle Washington (January 23, 1898 – December 21, 1971) was an American athlete from the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Washington excelled in both tennis and basketball, and she was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018. Black newspapers referred to her as "Queen Ora" and the "Queen of Two Courts." According to Arthur Ashe, she may have been one of best tennis players of all time and "the first Black female to dominate a sport".

Early life Washington was born in Virginia around 1899 to James Thomas Washington and Laura Young Washington. The exact date of her birth is unknown. After the American Civil War, the state of Virginia was in debt and to save money did not issue birth certificates from 1896 to 1912. The fifth of nine children, she grew up in the farming community of File located in Caroline County, Virginia. She would win the title seven more times by 1937.

On the tennis court, Washington's presence loomed larger to her opponents than her , frame. Biographers have noted that she favored an unconventional tennis playing style. A right-hander, she held the racket in the middle of the grip, "choking up" like a baseball player on a bat. She also preferred brief warmup sessions before matches, saying, "I'd rather play from scratch and warm up as I went along." Opponents and fans described Washington as a strategic and physically strong player, noting her intimidating competitiveness and overhead play.

In the spring of 1938, Washington announced that she planned to retire from singles tennis play. Because she was still dominating the competition, and actively playing doubles and mixed doubles, some questioned her decision. In an interview in the Baltimore Afro-American in the summer of 1939, she explained, "It does not pay to be national champion too long. It's the struggle to be one that counts. Once arrived everybody wants to take it away from you and you are the object of many criticisms." Washington remained focused and professional about her work on the courts and relatively quiet and "plain" off the courts. Her blue-collar, rural style may have contributed to her lower visibility among the black elite tennis community.

Washington desired to expand her talents beyond African American tennis, wanting to compete in United States Lawn Tennis Association tournaments. Washington wanted to take on strong white players such as Helen Wills Moody, but was unable to due to segregation that was firmly enforced in the 1930s during Washington’s career. The color line would not be broken until 1948 by Althea Gibson. Washington retired completely from sport in the mid-1940s, after she and partner George Stewart defeated Walter Johnson and upcoming superstar Althea Gibson to win the 1947 ATA mixed doubles title. Johnson was later quoted as saying, "Ora would have beaten Althea if she hadn't retired." Washington was almost 30 years older than Gibson, then aged 19. The following year, Washington led the Hornets to 33 consecutive victories. On April 9, 1931, the Hornets won the National Girls Basketball Title, beating the Rankin Femmes, a team from near Pittsburgh, in the final. Washington played for the Tribunes in a three-game event against Bennett College in 1934. The Tribunes won all three games, the second of which was described by the Chicago Defender as "the greatest exhibition ever staged in North Carolina". The Tribune Girls won 11 straight Women's Colored Basketball World's Championships.

In 1932 Otto Briggs brought Ora Washington over to the Philadelphia Tribune Girls which helped the tribunes assert themselves in Black women's basketball. Washington was a dominant figure in this organisation, and her impact led to intra-Black debates in regards to the role of women's competitive sport. Despite many praising Washington as the "Queen of the Courts," others were uneasy about her playing style, which they found to be too rough and undermined the ideals of femininity which was being promoted at the time. During the Tribunes' 1934 series in Greensboro at Bennet College, a 'ladylike' style of play was being supported before the event. Despite this the Tribunes and Washington escaped with the victory. Washington had mixed reviews about her as an athlete and a player, with some praising her as a dignified champion, and others critiquing her aggression. This is a representation of how class, gender and race shaped peoples views on athletes during this time, which was especially prevalent for Ora Washington. Later life While playing for the Tribunes, Washington received a small salary. But she never was paid enough from sport to give up her day job as a housekeeper. Washington never married. Over the years, she lived with family members and female friends. After a long illness, Washington died in 1971. She was buried in her Virginia hometown.

Honors and tributes In 1976, Washington was posthumously inducted into the Black Athletes Hall of Fame.

A state historical marker stands at 6128 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, the location of the Colored YWCA where she taught and played, now home to Settlement Music School.

In 2009, Washington was elected to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Knoxville, Tennessee.

On March 31, 2018, it was announced she was being inducted as part of the Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2018.

On July 31, 2019, a statue inspired by Washington, titled "MVP", was added to Smith Playground in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park.

Washington had accumulated 155 trophies during her career and was the only player to win national titles in the singles, doubles, and mixed doubles in the same year.