Wat Takes His Shot, Cheryl Kim
Wat Takes His Shot, Cheryl Kim
List: $7.99 | Sale: $5.60
Club: $3.99

Wat Takes His Shot
The Life & Legacy of Basketball Hero Wataru Misaka

Author: Cheryl Kim

Narrator: Kurt Kanazawa

Unabridged: 20 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 06/18/2024


Synopsis

Growing up, Wat Misaka wasn’t the tallest kid on the basketball court, but he was fast and he loved the game! In his Japanese American basketball league, Wat dribbled with speed and shared the ball as much as he scored. Encouraged by his father to always do his best, Wat applied this mindset to every challenge in his life.

As Wat spent more time on the court, his passion for the game grew. He played in college at the University of Utah during WWII, a time when many Japanese Americans were stripped of their freedoms and incarcerated by the US government. Wat fought against racism and brought his best to every game. His team-player mentality made him shine on and off the court, and he became an inspiration to his Japanese American community. After helping his team win the national championship, Wat was drafted by the New York Knicks, making him the first non-white athlete to play in the NBA.

Wat’s motivational story of rising to a 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!

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Reviews

Goodreads review by Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight) on January 25, 2025

What a great story! I had never heard of Wataru Misaka who was the first athlete of color to play in the NBA. The book also covers the mistreatment of Japanese Americans during WWII in an age appropriate manner. The illustrations are also very good, vibrant and colorful.......more

Goodreads review by Meredith on June 08, 2024

5 stars for 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 help to explain the perhaps not-so-familiar lif......more

Goodreads review by Samantha on June 25, 2024

I didn’t know that the first person of color in the NBA was an Asian-American!!! He faced so much hostility, but he still persevered. I love his story. I love that it’s true. It was hard to finish only because I had tears in my eyes.......more

Goodreads review by Sara on June 19, 2024

I am excited to get Wat Takes His Shot: The Life and Legacy of Basketball Hero Wataru Misaka for my school library! As a child, Wat loved playing basketball in his hometown of Ogden, Utah. Facing adversity at a young age, including losing his father and rising racism against Japanese Americans durin......more

Goodreads review by Jodi on December 16, 2024

The end cap at the library is always a treasure trove - I had never heard of Mr. Misaka and this book did a great job with his story. What a fascinating man. I also appreciated how it portrayed the awful reality of how Japanese Americans were treated at the time, unfortunately resembling how many peo......more