The First Non-White NBA Player Ever

This is the story of Wat Misaka breaking the color barrier in basketball, the same year Jackie Robinson did so in baseball.

The story of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball in 1947 has become an important piece of sports history, well known by many people who even don’t know anything else about baseball. It has become an important chapter in the story of America.

However, it may surprise you to know, that in the same year, the very first non-white player began his professional basketball career as well. His name was Wat Misaka.

Early Life

Wat Misaka was born in 1923 in Ogden, Utah and was a second generation Japanese American. He grew up at a time and in a place where there was a “virtual apartheid” against Japanese Americans, according to the University of Utah.

Due to being Japanese, he was unable to participate in extracurricular activities. In response, the Japanese American community created their own sports leagues for their children. However, by the time Misaka was a high school student, he was able to play for the local high school team, and he led them to a state title in 1940 and a regional title in 1941.