Wataru Misaka
Encyclopedia
is a retired American
basketball
player. He was the first player of Asian
descent and the first non-Caucasian
person to play in the National Basketball Association
(then known as the Basketball Association of America
).
Japanese American
, was born in Ogden
, Utah
. Playing for the University of Utah
, he led his school to the 1944 NCAA
and 1947 NIT
championships. Misaka took off two years between these titles to serve in the U.S. Army.
A 5'7" point guard
, he was selected by the New York Knicks
in the 1947 BAA Draft
. During the 1947–1948 season
, he played in three games and scored seven points before he was cut from the team. Misaka was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.
A documentary film, Transcending: The Wat Misaka Story, by Bruce Alan Johnson and Christine Toy Johnson premiered in 2008.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player. He was the first player of Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
descent and the first non-Caucasian
Caucasian race
The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...
person to play in the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(then known as the Basketball Association of America
Basketball Association of America
The Basketball Association of America was a professional basketball league in North America, founded in 1946. The league merged with the National Basketball League in 1949, forming the National Basketball Association ...
).
Biography
Misaka, a NiseiNisei
During the early years of World War II, Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated from their homes in the Pacific coast states because military leaders and public opinion combined to fan unproven fears of sabotage...
Japanese American
Japanese American
are American people of Japanese heritage. Japanese Americans have historically been among the three largest Asian American communities, but in recent decades have become the sixth largest group at roughly 1,204,205, including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity...
, was born in Ogden
Ogden, Utah
Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. Playing for the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
, he led his school to the 1944 NCAA
1944 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
-External links:* on Shrp Sports * , source for much of the information on this page....
and 1947 NIT
1947 National Invitation Tournament
The 1947 National Invitation Tournament was the 1947 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition.-Selected teams:Below is a list of the 8 teams selected for the tournament.-Brackets/Results:Below is the tournament bracket....
championships. Misaka took off two years between these titles to serve in the U.S. Army.
A 5'7" point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
, he was selected by the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
in the 1947 BAA Draft
1947 BAA Draft
The 1947 BAA Draft was the inaugural draft of the Basketball Association of America , which later became the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on July 1, 1947 before the 1947–48 season. In this draft, nine remaining BAA teams along with the Baltimore Bullets who joined the BAA...
. During the 1947–1948 season
1947-48 NBA season
The 1947–48 BAA season was the second season of the Basketball Association of America , the league that would eventually become the National Basketball Association...
, he played in three games and scored seven points before he was cut from the team. Misaka was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.
A documentary film, Transcending: The Wat Misaka Story, by Bruce Alan Johnson and Christine Toy Johnson premiered in 2008.
External links
- 'Wat' a player NBA.com. Retrieved April 7, 2005
- Wat Misaka: an Asian basketball pioneer, Basketball Digest, Feb, 2002 by Douglas Stark.
- Transcending: The Wat Misaka Story film website