Wataru "Wat" Misaka is the Jackie Robinson of the NBA — the first person of color to play in the NBA, then known as the Basketball Association of America in 1947.

Misaka played in three games in 1947, the same year Robinson broke baseball's color barrier in the major leagues with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

"Transcending — the Wat Misaka story," a documentary film, will be shown at 6:30 p.m. tonight at the University of Hawaii-Hilo Performing Arts Center.

Misaka, the son of Japanese immigrants, was born and raised in Utah, where he still lives.

He was a first-round draft pick of the New York Knicks in 1947, and played in three games and scored seven points before he was cut from the team.

Misaka, a 5-foot-7 point guard, led the University of Utah to the 1944 NCAA and '47 NIT championships.

He was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame in 1999. Two years earlier, he was inducted into the Japanese-American National Bowling Hall of Fame.

At Utah, Misaka took two years off to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II. In an article on NBA.com, he said the New Yorks fans were receptive to him.

"Whether real or not, I felt less prejudice against me in New York than I did anywhere else," Misaka says in the article. "Playing for Utah (at Madison Square Garden), New Yorkers are great fans of underdogs and they really backed us up, even against St. John's.

"When I went back as a Knick, there were people who remembered me from playing for Utah and would say hello on the streets, sometimes."

In 1950, Chuck Cooper was the first African-American to be drafted when he was selected by the Boston Celtics. However, Nat Clifton was the first black player to sign an NBA contract when he joined the Knicks.

In his only season with the Knicks, Misaka was the only person of color on the court. Like Robinson, Misaka ignored any jeering from the fans.

"I was the only non-white, but I couldn't see myself," he said. "I chose not to listen to it."

The film includes in-depth interviews with Misaka and his family; teammates from his championship teams, including All-American star Arnie Ferrin of the Minneapolis Lakers; sports authorities, including Knicks historian Dennis D'Agostino; and New York sportscaster Spencer Ross.

The film also has video clips from his 1944 and 1947 college games, rare footage from a visit to the Topaz Internment Camp, and photos of his triumphant career.

After the NIT in 1947, Misaka spent time in Honolulu with other All-Stars, including Hilo basketball star and former UH-Manoa coach Red Rocha, playing against the Harlem Globetrotters.

He was offered an invitation to play for the Globetrotters, but turned it down to return to school, where he earned an engineering degree. He worked for the Sperry Corp. as an engineer.

The film was directed by award-winning filmmakers Bruce Alan Johnson and Christine Toy Johnson. Admission is free, but tickets are required. Call 934-0177 for information.