Remembering My Friend, Wat Misaka, Who Left A Legacy
He was the first non-white player in the NBA
Wat was a star basketball player at the University of Utah.
The holidays are a good time to engage with family members and friends. It is also a time to remember dear friends who have passed on from this world.
One such friend that I remember fondly is Wat Misaka, who died on November 21, 2019. He was born on December 21, 1923, in Ogden, Utah, where he was raised. His parents were immigrants from Japan.
Wat has the distinction of being the first non-white player in what is now the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Professional sports were not always open to minorities
Back in 1947, it was a time of extreme racism against Black people and Asians. That was the year that Jackie Robinson was able to break into major league baseball in the United States as a Black player with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Not as well known is the first non-white player in what is now the NBA. It was known as the Basketball Association of America (BAA) back in 1947 when the New York Knicks drafted Wat Misaka from the University of Utah. Wat was the first non-white player and the…
