[3][4][5][6] Misaka played college basketball for the Utah Utes and led the team to win the 1944 NCAA and 1947 NIT championships.

[2] When his mother tried to encourage the family to move back to Hiroshima, Misaka declined and decided to stay in Utah in spite of all the discriminations.

Although his family was outside of the relocation zone, Misaka felt guilty, as his friends were forced to be within the restraints of the camps while he had the opportunity to study and pursue his basketball dream.

[15] After high school, Misaka continued his education at the same time that many other Japanese Americans were forced into internment camps.

Utah's narrow victories in the first two rounds put them in the finals where they defeated Kentucky 49–45 to capture the 1947 NIT championship title.

After the end of the war and as the team found more success on the court, however, Misaka was often the center of the fans' attention, with his unique background in contrast to the other players on the floor.

[20] On January 22, 2022, Misaka's number 20 jersey was honored by the Utah Utes for his contributions towards a national championship alongside his courage battling against the discrimination he faced.

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.

[19] Misaka declined an offer to play with the Harlem Globetrotters, and he returned home to earn a degree in engineering from Utah.

[19] Misaka went on to pursue bowling after his basketball career ended, notably hitting a near-perfect 299 game at the age of 80.

Within the internment camps, Misaka became a cultural symbol and his on-court success provided a huge boost to the Japanese American community.

In a period marked with turmoil and tension, Misaka's story is one that exemplifies great courage and determination.

In an interview, Misaka downplayed his own success, believing that his NBA career didn't warrant the same attention as Lin's.

[16][24][33] In 2025, the Salt Lake-based Plan-B Theatre Company staged the one-man show Kilo-Wat, about Misaka's playing career and time in the military, on-campus at the University of Utah's Kingsbury Hall.