Who was the first non caucasian to play basketball in what later became the National Basketball Association?

Wataru Misaka (December 21, 1923 – November 20, 2019) was an American professional basketball player. A 5-foot-7-inch (1.70 m) point guard of Japanese descent, he broke a race barrier in professional basketball by being the first non-white player and the first player that was of Asian descent to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA), known then as the Basketball Association of America (BAA).

Misaka was selected by the New York Knickerbockers in the 1947 BAA Draft. He debuted as the first non-Caucasian player in the BAA (later known as the NBA) in 1947, the same year that Jackie Robinson broke the baseball color line.The first African American did not play in the NBA until 1950.

At the time there were no press conferences or interviews to commemorate Misaka's first game. "It wasn't a big thing," he said, nobody cared".

Misaka played in three games and scored seven points in the 1947–48 season before being cut from the team mid-season. He believed he was cut because the Knicks had too many guards. Misaka said he did not feel any discrimination from teammates or opposing players during his time with the Knicks

Misaka played college basketball for the Utah Utes and led the team to win the 1944 NCAA and 1947 NIT championships. He took a two-year hiatus between these titles to serve in the United States Army in the American occupation of Japan. Misaka subsequently played three games for the New York Knicks during the 1947–48 season.