It was Nov. 13, 1947, and the New York Knicks’ first-round pick took to the basketball court at Madison Square Garden. It wasn’t his first time playing in the Garden — he had helped win two college basketball championships there in 1944 and 1947, turning in impressive defensive performances.
Three weeks and three games later, he was cut. He never played pro basketball again.
Still, that man, Wataru “Wat” Misaka, has a place in the history books. Misaka was the first person of color to play professional basketball in what would become the NBA — breaking the color barrier the same year Jackie Robinson did in pro baseball.