5'7”, 150 pounds, Japanese American. Wataru (Wat) Misaka doesn't sound like a man destined to change the face of professional basketball. In a sport dominated by height and non-Asians, it's hard to believe that such a man could have any success. And in fact, playing a mere three games and scoring seven points would indicate that he did not have any success. But his career isn't remembered for how many points he scored, it is remembered because he did play.
Wat Misaka was born in Ogden, Utah in 1923 Wat grew up playing basketball and eventually got the chance to play for the University of Utah. In 1944 he helped his team to capture the NCAA Championship. He then left school for two years to serve in the military. Upon his return he was able to rejoin the team, this time helping the team to the 1947 NIT championship. His play in front of the New York crowd at Madison Square Garden led to New York basketball fans wanting more. So much so that he was selected by the New York Knicks with their first pick in that year's draft. Later that year he got to play in three games, his only three games before being cut from the team. But in those three games, he did something no other person had been able to do. He broke the color barrier in the NBA (at the time it was the Basketball Association of America or BAA).
This accomplishment in itself would be enough to make Wat a legend, but that was not the entire story. Because he lived in Utah, he was able to avoid interment during World War II. But his success was not unnoticed by those in the camps. His success on the nation's biggest stage for basketball served as an inspiration for the Japanese Americans, especially for those at at near by Topaz. Though he did not have the same effect as his baseball counterpart Jackie Robinson who broke the MLB color barrier earlier in the year, Wat is still a significant part of both Asian American and NBA history. This past year a documentary was released outlining his story entitled “Transcending: The Wat Misaka Story” and has been making its rounds in the Japanese American and Asian American communities. It has also helped to gather support that lead to Wat's induction in to the NBA Legends of Basketball Association at the 2009 All-Star game. And so Wat Misaka may not be be a household name, but he opened the door for people of color into the NBA and inspired a community on his way to becoming a true legend of the game of basketball.
Jerry Knaack
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/sports/basketball/11vecsey.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wataru_Misaka
http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/7280/Transcending_The_Wat_Misaka_Story_public_screening_to_be_held_Friday
http://www.watmisaka.com/synopsis.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4nVa_NmcPc
heheh
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