'Queen of Malaysian basketball' Annie Goh Koon Gee passes away

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian basketball lost a legend in the early hours of Friday, with the passing away of Annie Goh Koon Gee. She was 70.

Known as the "Shooting Star" during her hey days, Goh Koon Gee was an Olympic Council of Malaysia Hall of Famer from the Class of 2004.

Goh Kon Gee made her international debut, at merely 20 years of age, at the inaugural FIBA Asia (then known as ABC) Women's Championship in Seoul in 1965 and finished among the top four scorers.

Three years later in the second edition of the tournament held in Taipei City, she was named the MVP and repeated the feat after leading Malaysia to the Semi-Finals when the event was played in Kuala Lumpur in 1970.

In 1968, she was also named the Best Female Athlete in Malaysia, the only basketball player ever to receive that distinction. She donated the entire amount of 5,000 Malaysian Ringgit that she received as a cash award.

Goh Kon Gee was also the only Malaysia player ever - male or female - to figure in the (now discontinued practice) of Asian All-Stars line-up, when the five best players from a competition would tour and play against various national teams.

In 1983, the Malaysia Government honoured her with the AMN (Ahli Mangku Negara), the fourth highest civilian honour in Malaysia.

Goh Kon Gee, in her later years, worked in setting up the administration offices of the Malaysia Basketball Association.

FIBA