前日裔美國籃球明星在球場內(nèi)外鼓舞人心

前日裔美國籃球明星在球場內(nèi)外鼓舞人心

Misaka was known as a better bowler than basketball player in his hometown of Ogden, Utah. But it was his skills on the court that would lead to college success and ultimately a historic contract with the New York Knicks, making him the first nonwhite professional basketball player in the NBA.

在他的家鄉(xiāng)猶他州奧格登，米薩卡被認(rèn)為是一個比籃球運動員更好的投球手。但正是他在球場上的球技成就了他在大學(xué)的成功，并最終與紐約尼克斯隊簽下了一份歷史性的合同，使他成為NBA第一位非白人職業(yè)籃球運動員。

The 95-year-old Misaka, who died Wednesday, is being remembered this week for the hope he inspired both on and off the court, especially during a particularly painful chapter in American history.

現(xiàn)年95歲、于周三去世的米薩卡本周被人們銘記，因為他在球場內(nèi)外都激發(fā)了人們的希望，尤其是在美國歷史上一個特別痛苦的篇章中。

Misaka's parents ran a barbershop in the railroad town of Ogden, north of Salt Lake City. He was a natural athlete, said Bruce Johnson, who got to know him while making the 2010 documentary, Transcending: The Wat Misaka Story. He loved all kinds of sports, including tennis, golf and one Johnson wasn't expecting.

米薩卡的父母在鹽湖城北部的鐵路小鎮(zhèn)奧格登經(jīng)營一家理發(fā)店。他是一名天生的運動員，布魯斯·約翰遜說，他是在2010年制作紀(jì)錄片《超越:三坂寺的故事》時認(rèn)識他的。他喜歡各種運動，包括網(wǎng)球、高爾夫球，還有一項約翰遜沒有預(yù)料到的運動。

Rising star

冉冉升起的新星

As a student at Ogden High School in the 1940s, Misaka got his first taste of victory when his basketball team won state and regional championships.

20世紀(jì)40年代，作為奧格登高中的一名學(xué)生，米薩卡第一次嘗到了勝利的滋味，他的籃球隊贏得了州和地區(qū)的冠軍。

After graduating, he enrolled at Weber Junior College — later known as Weber State University — where he and his team won two championships in 1942 and 1943.

畢業(yè)后，他進(jìn)入了韋伯專科學(xué)院——后來被稱為韋伯州立大學(xué)——在那里他和他的團(tuán)隊贏得了1942年和1943年的兩個冠軍。

More success followed at the University of Utah, where he's credited with leading the team to a 1944 NCAA championship. He was drafted by the U.S. Army in the middle of his college basketball career and was stationed at one point in Hiroshima, Japan, Johnson said.

更多的成功接踵而至，在猶他大學(xué)，他帶領(lǐng)球隊獲得了1944年的NCAA冠軍。約翰遜說，他在大學(xué)籃球生涯期間被美國陸軍選中，曾一度駐扎在日本廣島。

Once he returned home, he went back to the university and back to the basketball court. In 1947, he helped the team win the National Invitation Tournament, the year he'd be drafted as a pro.

他一回到家，就回到了大學(xué)，回到了籃球場。1947年，他幫助球隊贏得了全國邀請賽，那年他被選為職業(yè)球員。

What makes Misaka's story even more remarkable, Johnson said, is how much he accomplished during this time period, World War II. While at war with imperial Japan, the U.S. government forced Japanese Americans into internment camps across the country, including one camp in Utah.

約翰遜說，讓米薩卡的故事更加引人注目的是他在二戰(zhàn)期間取得的成就。在與日本帝國戰(zhàn)爭期間，美國政府強(qiáng)迫日裔美國人在全國各地的拘留營，包括猶他州的一個拘留營。

Misaka wasn't among those sent to the camps, but at times he experienced anti-Japanese sentiment during games. Some basketball fans would yell racial slurs at Misaka, or tell him to go home.

米薩卡并不在被送往集中營的人之列，但在比賽期間，他有時會體驗到反日情緒。一些籃球迷會對米薩卡大罵種族歧視，或者讓他回家。

"It was hard for Misaka because like he said he was already home," Johnson said. "He was just a kid so he didn't even know how to even take that."

“這對米薩卡來說很難，因為就像他說的，他已經(jīng)回家了，”約翰遜說。“他只是個孩子，所以他甚至不知道怎么接受。”

But within the internment camps, Misaka became a symbol of hope, said Chris Komai with the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles.

洛杉磯日裔美國人國家博物館的克里斯卡邁說，但是在拘留營里，米薩卡變成了希望的象征。

"Most Japanese Americans — because there (wasn't) a lot of good news going on during the war — were aware that he and his team had won the NCAA tournament," Komai said. "This is a huge boost because our community has always been one that really prides the high achievers and shares in their achievements."

卡邁說:“大多數(shù)日裔美國人——因為戰(zhàn)爭期間沒有太多的好消息——都知道他和他的球隊贏得了NCAA錦標(biāo)賽。”“這是一個巨大的進(jìn)步，因為我們的社區(qū)一直是一個真正為高成就者感到自豪并分享他們的成就的社區(qū)。”