Asian Americans in sports
Many Asian-American athletes have managed to reach the top level of their respective sports, including Tommy Kono, Tiger Woods, Apolo Ohno, and Kristi Yamaguchi.
[2] Wataru Misaka broke the BAA (the precursor to the NBA) color barrier when he played for the New York Knicks in the 1947–48 season.
[3] Prior to his brief professional career, Misaka helped lead the Utah Utes to victories in the 1944 NCAA and 1947 NIT championships.
[3] Rex Walters played from 1993 to 2000 with the Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat;[3] he was the head coach for the University of San Francisco basketball team.
Jason Whitlock, a Fox Sports columnist, tweeted, "Some lucky lady in NYC is gonna feel a couple inches of pain tonight," referencing a stereotype that Asian men have small penises.
In 1933, the Japanese Amateur Athletic Union (JAAU) in both Northern and Southern California began sponsoring basketball, organizing formal leagues for the top-rated teams.
Local ethnic presses played a pivotal role in promoting these leagues by publishing schedules, scores, and stories, helping to bridge urban and rural Japanese American communities.
[12] The leagues thrived until 1941, when Executive Order 9066 led to the wartime incarceration of over 110,000 Japanese Americans, abruptly ending all organized basketball play.
However, basketball remained popular in the internment camps, offering a sense of normalcy and community during a time of great upheaval.
After the war, Japanese Americans returned to the West Coast, where basketball continued to serve as a key element of community life.
The Nisei Athletic Union (NAU), founded by figures like Akira Komai and Min Sano, quickly succeeded the JAAU and revitalized league play in both Northern and Southern California.
Prior to playing wide receiver at the University of Georgia, Ward was drafted by the Miami Marlins and offered a $25,000 signing bonus.
Walter "Sneeze" Achiu was the first person of east Asian descent to play in the National Football League.
Hines Ward, who was born to a Korean mother and an African American father, is a former NFL wide receiver who was the MVP of Super Bowl XL.
[a] 2018 Heisman Trophy winner, 1st overall pick of the 2019 NFL draft and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is of partial Korean descent.
[20] In 2004, UFC President Dana White called Bruce Lee, who was born in San Francisco, the "father of mixed martial arts".
Sammy Lee became the first Asian American man to earn an Olympic Gold Medal (two days after Draves), winning in platform diving in both 1948 and 1952.
Since Tiffany Chin won the women's US Figure Skating Championship in 1985, Asian Americans have been prominent in that sport.
Nathan Chen won a gold medal in the men's figure skating singles competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
He has won a total of fifteen medals in major international competitions, twelve gold, two silver, and one bronze spanning the Olympics, the World, and the Pan Pacific Championships.
He played outfielder with the Wichita Indians, San Antonio Missions, Kansas City Blues, Buffalo Bisons, Dallas Rangers, Vancouver Mounties, Hawaii Islanders, Toronto Maple Leafs and Seattle Rainiers.
Other current Major League Baseball players with Asian American backgrounds include: Keston Hiura, Jordan Yamamoto, Connor Joe and Rob Refsnyder.
Later that year, Woods won the Zozo Championship to tie Sam Snead's PGA Tour record of 82 victories.
Richard Park is a Korean American ice hockey player who currently plays for the Swiss team HC Ambri-Piotta.
Brian Ching, whose father was Chinese, represented the United States Men's National Soccer Team, scoring 11 goals in 45 caps.
