Asian Americans have participated in all major American sports, including as athletes, managers, and coaches.
Asian Americans have appeared in all major sports in the United States, including the NFL, Olympic sports, the PGA Tour, the NBA, MLS, and other global sports organizations. Many Asian-American athletes have managed to reach the top level of their respective sports, including Tommy Kono, Tiger Woods, Apolo Ohno, and Kristi Yamaguchi.
Although Asian Americans did not face formal discrimination to the same degree as African Americans, stereotyping and other informal discrimination has affected Asian American participation in sports. Asian athletes remain largely underrepresented in American sports.
Baseball Bobby Balcena was a Filipino American athlete from San Pedro, CA. He had a 15-year career in the minor leagues from 1948 to 1963. He played outfield with the Wichita Indians, San Antonio Missions, Kansas City Blues, Buffalo Bisons, Dallas Rangers, Vancouver Mounties, Hawaii Islanders, Toronto Maple Leafs and Seattle Rainiers. In 1956, Bobby Balcena became the first Asian American to play in Major League Baseball, playing seven games for the Cincinnati Redlegs. He died in 1990 and until then had been the only Filipino American to play in Major League Baseball.
Japanese American Kurt Suzuki played for six Major League Baseball franchises over his 15 year career. Other current Major League Baseball players with Asian American backgrounds include: Keston Hiura, Jordan Yamamoto, Connor Joe, Rob Refsnyder, Steven Kwan, and Bryan Woo. Don Wakamatsu, who played 18 games for the Chicago White Sox in 1991, became the first Major League manager of Asian descent when he was named manager of the Seattle Mariners in 2008. In 2020, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts became the first Asian-American manager to win a World Series.
Basketball Wataru Misaka broke the BAA (the precursor to the NBA) color barrier when he played for the New York Knicks in the 1947–48 season. Prior to his brief professional career, Misaka helped lead the Utah Utes to victories in the 1944 NCAA and 1947 NIT championships.
Another prominent Asian American NBA player was Raymond Townsend. Townsend played for the Golden State Warriors and Indiana Pacers from 1978 to 1982. Rex Walters played from 1993 to 2000 with the Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat; he was the head coach for the University of San Francisco basketball team.
After playing basketball at Harvard University, point guard Jeremy Lin signed with the NBA's Golden State Warriors in 2010 and won an NBA Championship with the Toronto Raptors in the 2018-2019 NBA season. Lin also played in the NBA G League with the Santa Cruz Warriors, before signing with the Beijing Ducks in 2021.
During his time with the Knicks, Lin had an exceptional stretch of play popularly dubbed "Linsanity". While prominent Knicks players including Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire were temporarily out due to injuries and personal issues, Lin led the Knicks on a 9-3 stretch while averaging 22.5 points and 8.7 assists per game.https://web.archive.org/web/20181002145424/http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/140677303.html?viewAll=y
However, Lin also faced racist remarks by media during this time. Jason Whitlock, a Fox Sports columnist, tweeted, "Some lucky lady in NYC is gonna feel a couple inches of pain tonight," referencing a stereotype that Asian men have small penises. Whitlock later apologized for the remark.
Later, after a loss to the Charlotte Hornets where Lin posted nine turnovers, ESPN published an article titled "Chink in the Armor," with other references containing the slur occurring in other ESPN media. The article was quickly withdrawn and the writer responsible was fired; Lin, when asked for a comment, said, "“I don’t think it was on purpose. At the same time, they’ve apologized. I don’t care anymore.”
Jordan Clarkson of the New York Knicks is also of partial Filipino-American descent.
Current Kansas Jayhawks assistant coach Kurtis Townsend is Raymond Townsend's brother.
Erik Spoelstra, whose mother is Filipino, became the youngest coach ever in NBA history. He is currently the head coach of the Miami Heat.Meet new Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra
Bobby Webster, whose mother is Japanese American, is currently serving as general manager for the Toronto Raptors of the NBA
Unlike baseball, which was introduced to Japan by the United States in 1873 and played predominantly by the immigrant Issei, basketball in the Japanese American community gained popularity as a sport primarily embraced by the Nisei, the second-generation Japanese Americans. It became a true Japanese American phenomenon during the 1920s, as recreational teams formed wherever there were significant numbers of young Japanese American men, particularly in California regions like the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, the Central Valley, and Los Angeles.
Basketball teams were often organized and sponsored by local YMCAs (Young Men’s Christian Associations), YMBAs (Young Men’s Buddhist Associations), and private Japanese American social clubs. In 1933, the Japanese Amateur Athletic Union (JAAU) in both Northern and Southern California began sponsoring basketball, organizing formal leagues for the top-rated teams. Local ethnic presses played a pivotal role in promoting these leagues by publishing schedules, scores, and stories, helping to bridge urban and rural Japanese American communities.
The leagues thrived until 1941, when Executive Order 9066 led to the wartime incarceration of over 110,000 Japanese Americans, abruptly ending all organized basketball play. However, basketball remained popular in the internment camps, offering a sense of normalcy and community during a time of great upheaval.
After the war, Japanese Americans returned to the West Coast, where basketball continued to serve as a key element of community life. The Nisei Athletic Union (NAU), founded by figures like Akira Komai and Min Sano, quickly succeeded the JAAU and revitalized league play in both Northern and Southern California. Leagues continued to expand in the post-war years, with various levels of competition ('AA', 'A', and 'B' levels) to accommodate teams of different skill levels.
Multisport Athletes
Wally Yonamine played professionally in the NFL for a single season with the San Francisco 49ers in 1947. In his one season with the team, he had 19 carries for 74 yards and caught 3 passes for 40 yards. After his brief career in the NFL Yonamine traveled overseas to play baseball. In 1951, he became the first American to play professional baseball in Japan, leading off for the Yomiuri Giants.
Hines Ward, who was of Korean descent, played both football and baseball. Prior to playing wide receiver at the University of Georgia, Ward was drafted by the Miami Marlins and offered a $25,000 signing bonus. He was drafted 92nd overall in the NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers and played all 14 seasons for the organization. Ward was also notable for his speaking out against discrimination issues that were occurring in his birthplace of South Korea.
Walter "Sneeze" Achiu was the first person of east Asian descent to play in the National Football League. At the University of Dayton, he was a three-sport athlete participating in football, baseball, and track. Walter Achiu was inducted into the University of Dayton Hall of Fame in 1974. After his time in the NFL, Achiu went on to become a professional wrestling champion when he competed in the 1950s.
Football In the 1920s, Arthur Matsu, a Japanese-Scottish quarterback, starred at The College of William & Mary, captaining the team and receiving national acclaim for his athleticism as a "triple-threat man" skilled at running, passing, and punting. In addition, Walter "Sneeze" Achiu, a Chinese-Hawaiian halfback, earned 1925 All-American honors at the University of Dayton. Matsu and Achiu would go on to play together for the NFL's Dayton Triangles in 1928, becoming the first Asian-Americans to play in the NFL.
In 1962, half-Filipino Roman Gabriel, a two-time all-American quarterback at NC State, was selected with both the second overall pick in the 1962 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams and the first overall pick in the same year's AFL draft by the Oakland Raiders. Gabriel went on to play 16 seasons for the Rams and Philadelphia Eagles, including an NFL MVP-winning season in 1969.
In 1986, John Lee, a Korean-born placekicker, was drafted by the then-St. Louis Cardinals in the 2nd round of the NFL Draft after earning back-to-back first-team All-American honors for UCLA, becoming the first Korean to play in the NFL.
In 1992, Korean-American Eugene Chung, an All-American offensive tackle at Virginia Tech, was drafted by the New England Patriots in the first round of the NFL Draft. Chung played five seasons for the Patriots and also appeared for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts before retiring.
In 1998, Vietnamese-American Dat Nguyen, a senior middle linebacker for the Texas A&M Aggies, earned unanimous All-American honors and won both the Bednarik Award, awarded to the top defensive player in college football, and the Lombardi Award. Nguyen was the Aggies' leading tackler in each of his four seasons, and still holds the school record with 517 career tackles. Nguyen was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys (becoming the first Vietnamese-American to be drafted) and played seven seasons, earning second-team All-Pro honors in 2003.
Hines Ward, a Korean-American born in Seoul, South Korea and raised in the Atlanta area, played wide receiver for the Georgia Bulldogs before being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1998. Ward caught 1,000 career passes for 12,083 yards over 14 seasons with the Steelers, winning both Super Bowl XL and Super Bowl XLIII. He is best remembered for his performance in Super Bowl XL, when he caught 5 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown to earn Super Bowl MVP honors.
Two former standout defensive players for the Bill Belichick-era New England Patriots are of partial Asian descent. Linebacker Tedy Bruschi, who played for the Patriots from 1996 to 2008 – winning three Super Bowls and making two All-Pro teams – is half-Filipino, while safety Patrick Chung, who is Chinese-Jamaican, was also a three-time Super Bowl champion in 10 seasons with New England between 2009 and 2019.
In 2010, Ed Wang, an offensive tackle at Virginia Tech, was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the 5th round of the NFL Draft, becoming the first full-blooded Chinese player be drafted and play in the NFL.
Younghoe Koo, a Korean-born kicker, was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2020 after leading the NFL in scoring for the Atlanta Falcons. Koo also gained attention after successfully converting three onside kicks in a single game in 2019.
In 2018, quarterback Kyler Murray, who is of partial Korean descent, won the Heisman Trophy while leading Oklahoma to a 12-2 record, a Big 12 conference title, and the College Football Playoff. Murray was selected with the 1st overall pick of the 2019 NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals, going on to win the 2019 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award, make the Pro Bowl twice, and lead the Cardinals to the playoffs once.
Five years later, quarterback Jayden Daniels, who is of partial Japanese descent, won the 2023 Heisman Trophy while playing for LSU. He was selected second overall by the Washington Commanders in the 2024 NFL draft. Daniels won the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year award and began wearing a Japanese flag on his helmet during the 2025 season.
Other current NFL players with Asian ancestry include Korean-American safety Kyle Hamilton, a two-time All-Pro; Chinese-American safety Taylor Rapp, who won Super Bowl LVI with the Rams; Filipino-American safety Cam Bynum, and Filipino American wide receiver Andrei Iosivas.