Japanese-American Wateru Misaka, the first nonwhite player in NBA history, died Wednesday at the age of 95.
After winning a national championship in college, with Utah, and after a few years in the army, Misaka played three games for the Knicks during the 1947-48 season.
Misaka’s story, as an Asian-American color barrier breaker in an African-American sport, is one of the more improbable in the history of the league.
The New York Times’ obituary is well-worth the read.
We tweeted some of our favorite photos of him, which you can check out here.
Let's take this to your inbox. Sign up below.