Wat Takes His Shot: The Life & Legacy of Basketball Hero Wataru Misaka
By Cheryl Kim
| Availability: | On our shelves now |
The stirring biography of Japanese American basketball star Wataru Misaka--the first person of color to play in the NBA!
As a kid, Wataru Misaka channeled his endless energy into playing sports. Every Sunday, he raced to the park where his Japanese American community came together to play basketball. Wat wasn't the tallest on the team, but he was fast and loved the game! Encouraged by his father to always do his best, Wat applied this mentality to every aspect and challenge in his life.
Wat was a college student when the US government forced more than 122,000 Japanese Americans living on the West Coast into incarceration camps during WWII. He overcame racism and segregation to join his college's basketball team but despite Wat's impressive skills, he was treated as an outsider because he was Japanese American. Wat kept his eye on the ball, and his team-player mentality made him shine on and off the court. He became an inspiration to his Japanese American community. After helping Utah University's basketball team win the national championship in 1947, Wat was drafted by the New York Knicks, making him the first person of color to play in the NBA.
Wat's motivational story of rising to any challenge and bringing your best to everything you do is a reminder of the power we each have to inspire others--if we just take our shot!
I thoroughly enjoyed this new release by Cheryl Kim! Kim presented information on the lesser known story of Wataru Misaka and gave him a big stage. Young readers will appreciate the vibrant illustrations that connect them to the familiar game of basketball, and they also help to explain the perhaps not-so-familiar life of a Japanese-American student during World War II. Kim does not shy away from explaining the racism Misaka faced on and off the court. Most importantly, Kim shares Misaka's passion to achieve his dreams, and how he became the Asian-American- not to mention BIPOC- to play for the BBA (now called the NBA). Middle grade readers will be encouraged by Misaka's drive to do his best on the court, and also the unique avenues he took to achieve his dreams.
It's exciting to have more books featuring Asian/Asian-American historical figures on my classroom bookshelves. After finishing this book, one of my students asked me, "Do you have anymore books like this one? I really liked it." My students and I look forward to reading more inspiring and empowering books from Cheryl Kim.
