Wataru Misaka

Wataru Misaka

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).

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 in the American occupation of Japan. He played three games for the New York Knicks in the 1947–1948 season.