Nowadays, we sometimes take diversity in the NBA for granted. It’s just something that’s normal and accepted.
When the NBA was founded in 1946, it obviously wasn’t very mixed as far as people groups go. It stayed that way for a while, too.
But have you ever thought about who was the first? Who was the first non-American white man to play in the NBA?
Turns out it’s Wataru Misaka, a 5’7” Japanese-American point guard who turned 95 on December 21st. He only played one season, which was the 1947-48 campaign, and averaged 2.3 points on 23% shooting. Misaka played in three games and scored seven points before being cut from the team Not a superstar career as far as the stats go, but he did make history, so that might be more important.
Anyway, Happy late-Birthday Wataru Misaka, the guy who open the door for multi-cultural NBA basketball.
