Wataru Misaka is a legend. Not only was he a top basketball player in high school and college, but he was also the first person of colour to play professional basketball.
When you are faced with the question of who the first professional Asian basketball player was, what will be your answer?
Most people think Yao Ming was the first Asian to play in the NBA.
Heck, some think Jeremy Lin was.
But these claims are false because the first Asian to play in the NBA (well, actually the Basketball Association of America or BBA –the precursor to the NBA) was a player from the late 1940s.
This player was Wataru Misaka, a Japanese-American. He played 3 games for the New York Knicks during the 1947–1948 season.
Who is Wat Misaka?
Misaka was born in Ogden, Utah as a first-generation American. He was born into an era of segregation, where children of Nisei descent were excluded from extracurricular sports.
So, he and his community had to play in their own sports leagues.
But as the years passed, society began to become more tolerant.
When Misaka entered high school, he was allowed to join the school’s basketball team.
And boy, did he take advantage of this opportunity!
Here, he led his team to a championship. And he did the same thing when with his college team, Weber Junior College.
But while he was basking in the glory of basketball success, Misaka was drafted into the army and had to serve his country in WWII.
Misaka’s Pro Basketball Experience
After three years, he came back from his tour and resumed his basketball career.
He was selected by the Knicks to join their team. And even though he only played 3 games with them, he had a blast.
And one of the reasons was that he didn’t face any discrimination on-court while he was in the limelight. As a matter of fact, his team treated him as one of their own.
Off-court, however, was a very different story.
Misaka recalls being denied service from restaurants because of his ethnicity and not being able to stay at hotels.
After his tenure with the BAA, he decided to retire from playing basketball professionally and went back to school. There, he received an engineering degree and became an engineer.
Wat Misaka’s Legacy
Misaka, who died on Nov. 20, 2019, at the age of 95, leaves behind a wonderful legacy.
He was a hero to Asian kids who loved basketball, broke racial barriers to the sport, and was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame.
According to Japanese Basketball Association technical director Tomoya Higashino, Misaka “was a pioneer” who created opportunities for Japanese basketball and Japanese players, such as Rui Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe.
“Mr. Misaka created respect among the basketball community for his accomplishments,” Higashino told Hoop Scoop on Tuesday. “He was a pioneer and created an opportunity for future Japanese basketball players. We currently have players, who were born in Japan, playing in the high school and collegiate level (in the United States) and two players playing in the NBA. Mr. Misaka’s character, ambition and hard work helped pave the way for the players today.
“I would say that he gave us a lot of courage and confidence to whoever comes to the (United) States. He was a huge influence for our Japan basketball to have a big dream.”
Final Thoughts
Misaka, like Lin, was also relatable to other Asian players. He was of relatively average height and size (5’7”), unlike Ming.
Because of this, more Asians can imagine themselves in his shoes.
They can picture themselves making it to a professional league.
They can model their game after his.
Misaka is a legend of the community. He broke barriers and was a role model to millions of kids who are often stereotyped as un-athletic.