Almost 50 years ago before Linsanity, Norman Ouyoung Jang got to try out for then San Francisco Warriors in the NBA.
He was the first Asian American to ever try out for an NBA team. Wat Misaka had a stint with the New York Knicks in 1947, but that was when the Knicks were with the Basketball Association of America, the precursor to the National Basketball Association.
That was back in 1964. Now the prep star from San Francisco’s Washington High, will be inducted into the city’s Prep Hall of Fame.reports the San Francisco Examiner.
“I feel honored to do it,” Jang said. “I usually think I’m too old for something like this.”
Jang lead Washington High’s 130 team to 50 straight victories before being elevated to the varsity in his junior year. His team went to two straight city championships, losing to the now shuttered Polytechnic High both times.
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Jang received an offer to play for San Jose State, but financial considerations forced him to turn it down and enter the workforce. Instead he played for the Chinese American team, the San Francisco Saints, drew the notice of the Warriors and was offered a tryout.
You can read more about Jang’s brilliant basketball career and the campaign to get him elected into the Prep Hall of Fame in the San Francisco Examiner.
You can also watch the interesting retrospective on Jang from Rick Quan below.
(note from editor: This article was updated to include reference to Wat Misaka)
