Race and ethnicity in the NBA

Asian American point guard Wat Misaka broke basketball's color barrier as the first non-white player to play in the NBA in 1947.

The composition of race and ethnicity in the National Basketball Association (NBA) has changed throughout the league's history. The first non-white player to play in the league was an Asian American, Wat Misaka, in 1947.[1] African Americans entered the league beginning in 1950. According to racial equality activist Richard Lapchick, the NBA in 2021 was composed of 73.2 percent black players, 16.8 percent white players, 3.1 percent Latino players of any race, and 0.4 percent Asian players. Additionally, 6.6 percent of the players were classified as either multiracial or "other" races.[2] The league has the highest percentage of black players of any major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada.[3]

  1. ^ Vecsey, George (February 15, 2012). "The Old Guard Welcomes the New Guard". The New York Times. p. B10. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2021_report_card was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Landrum Jr., Jonathan (February 11, 2012). "First Black NBA Player Gets Honor at Hawks Game". Archived from the original on January 15, 2014.