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Wataru Misaka

  • ️Fri Dec 21 1923
Wataru Misaka
Wataru Misaka
No. 15
Point guard
Personal information
Date of birth December 21, 1923 (age 87)
Place of birth Ogden, Utah
Nationality American
High school Ogden
Listed height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Listed weight 150 lb (68 kg)
Career information
College Utah
NBA Draft 1947 / Round: -- / Pick: --
Selected by the New York Knicks
Pro career 1947–1948
League BAA
Career history
1947–1948 New York Knicks
Career highlights and awards
Career BAA statistics
Points 7 (2.3 ppg)
Games played 3
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Wataru "Wat" Misaka (三阪 亙 Misaka Wataru?, born December 21, 1923) 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).[1]

Biography

Misaka, a Nisei 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.[2]

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.[3] 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[4] premiered in 2008.

See also

  • List of shortest players in National Basketball Association history

References

  1. ^ Vecsey, George (August 11, 2009). "Pioneering Knick Returns to Garden". The New York Times: p. B-9. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/sports/basketball/11vecsey.html?hp. Retrieved October 28, 2010. "He lasted just three games, but is remembered as the first non-Caucasian player in modern professional basketball, three years before African-Americans were included."
  2. ^ "A Nisei in the NBA: The Wat Misaka Story". Hokubei.com. 2008-08-29. http://www.hokubei.com/en/news/2008/08/Nisei-NBA-Wat-Misaka-Story.
  3. ^ Robbins, Liz (January 5, 2005). "Size 7 Sneakers Are Still Hard to Fill". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/05/sports/basketball/05misaka.html?pagewanted=1&8hpib
  4. ^ Sanchez, Jennifer W. (September 10, 2008). "Utahn broke ethnic wall in NBA". The Salt Lake Tribune. http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_10420139?source=rss[dead link]

External links

v · d · eUtah Utes Men's Basketball 1943–44 NCAA Champions

Arnie Ferrin (MOP) | Bob Lewis | Wataru Misaka | Fred Sheffield | Dick Smuin | Herb Wilkinson
Coach Vadal Peterson

Categories:

  • 1923 births
  • Living people
  • American basketball players
  • Basketball players from Utah
  • American sportspeople of Japanese descent
  • New York Knicks draft picks
  • New York Knicks players
  • People from Ogden, Utah
  • Point guards
  • Utah Utes men's basketball players
  • American military personnel of Japanese descent
  • American basketball biography, 1920s birth stubs

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Wataru Misaka — Wataru Wat Misaka (japonais : 三阪 亙 Misaka Wataru) né le 21 décembre 1923 à Ogden, Utah, États Unis) est un joueur américano japonais de basket ball. Il fut le premier joueur issu d une minorité ethnique à intégrer la Basketball Association… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Misaka — may refer to People Wataru Misaka, a retired American basketball player Fictional Characters Kaori Misaka, a character in the anime/manga/visual novel Kanon Mikoto Misaka, one of the main characters in the Toaru Majutsu no Index anime/manga/light …   Wikipedia

  • Wataru — (わたる, Wataru?) est un prénom japonais masculin. Il peut s écrire ワタル ou en kanji. Sommaire 1 En kanji …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Mikoto Misaka — 御坂 美琴 (Misaka Mikoto) Sexo Femenino Edad 14 años To Aru Majutsu no Index Otros nombres Railgun Electromaster As de Tokiwadai …   Wikipedia Español

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