"More Than Basketball" with the Nikkei Heritage Basketball Association
Saturday, November 18, 2023
Time: 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Location: The Center
Fees: Free Admission
Community basketball has become a cornerstone of California's Japanese American community since the 1920's, when Japanese American leagues were organized as a response to Nisei and Sansei generations not being welcome into mainstream recreational leagues. Even during the community's unjust incarceration during WWII, Japanese Americans continued to play organized sports, and these athletic pastimes continue today through the teams, leagues and tournaments organized and played by the sansei, yonsei, and gosei generations (and beyond).
Join us as we team up with the Nikkei Heritage Basketball Association on Saturday, November 18, 2023 to hold a speaker panel and community discussion of the significance of basketball to the Japanese American community, and how Nikkei cultural values and community have been embodied by generations of teams and players. The panel discussion will be led by Chris Komai of the NBHA and researcher Steven D. Chin, who wrote his master's thesis on "The East Bay Japanese American Community: A Look at Community Culture" and Keith Uyeda, long-time player and coach for the San Francisco Drakes. The panel will explore the history of organized Japanese American community basketball programs throughout California, and will additionally include perspectives from current and recent youth players.
This event will also be an opportunity for attendees to share and record some of their own experiences with playing in the JA community leagues and tournaments, and how basketball has provided a greater sense of connection and understanding of our culture and community. We're hoping to get both past and current players from different JA basketball programs in Northern California to attend, so come wearing your JA team jersey and represent your team!
About Our Panelists
Chris Komai, moderator:
Chris Komai is a freelance writer, who has been involved in Little Tokyo for more than five decades. He was the Public Information Officer of the Japanese American National Museum for over 21 years, where he handled public relations for the organization’s special events, exhibitions and public programs. Prior to that, Komai worked for the Japanese-English language newspaper, The Rafu Shimpo, for 18 years as a sportswriter, sports editor, and English editor. He still contributes articles to the newspaper and writes for the Japanese American National Museum’s project, Discover Nikkei, on a variety of topics.
Komai is the Past Board Chair for the Little Tokyo Community Council and is currently First Vice Chair. He also serves on the boards of the Keiro Foundation and the Little Tokyo Public Safety Association. He has been a member of the Southern California Nisei Athletic Union Board of Directors for basketball and baseball for over 40 years and sits on the Board of the Nikkei Basketball Heritage Association. Komai earned a B.A. degree in English from the University of California at Riverside.
Miles Chan, panelist:
Miles Chan is currently a Senior at Burlingame High School and is in the middle of preparing for the Varsity basketball season. Miles has played for the S.F.. Associates since he was in the 1st grade. Throughout his time playing for the Associates, he has developed a strong connection to the Bay Area Japanese American community. This includes his participation as a player with the Shinzen Nikkei Youth Goodwill program which traveled to Japan. Mile’s mother played for the San Francisco Enchantees and his grandmother played for the Arbees. His father has been his Associates coach throughout the entire time Miles has been playing.
Steven D. Chin, panelist:
Steven D. Chin, former East Bay Youth Athletic League (EBYAL) player (Ohtani) and former East Bay Girls Athletic League (EBGAL) coach/board member, studied at the San Francisco State University with a B.A. in Asian American Studies and M.A. in Ethnic Studies. As a contributing writer for the Nichi Bei, Chin used excerpts from his master’s thesis, “The East Bay Japanese American Basketball Community: A Look at Community Culture” (2013), and newer interviews to write “Bay Area Ballers: A brief history of Japanese American basketball in the Bay Area” (#337, 2019) which was divided and published over two issues, concluding in Nichi Bei’s “Multiracial/Multiethnic Special Edition” (#338, 2019). He is currently an active stay-at-home dad raising two amazing kids in the East Bay Area.
Patricia Lee, panelist:
Born and raised in Southern California, Patricia started playing Asian American community basketball at the age of 7. Through the years she continued to play, she developed long-lasting relationships and life skills. Patricia played for the Orange County Optimists and Hollywood Dodgers, and now, living in the Bay Area, she still plays when she can but has shifted her focus to giving back to the community by coaching at the youth and high school levels. She hopes to pass on her learnings and experiences to inspire and excite the future youth of the community.
Danielle Mizuiri, panelist:
Danielle Mizuiri developed a strong connection with the Bay Area Japanese American and greater Asian American community through participating in the Asian American basketball leagues with the San Francisco Enchantees. She had the privilege of participating in the Shinzen Nikkei Youth Goodwill program as a player and coach. Today, she continues to nurture her passion for the sport by coaching the a BCSFYAO Ardenettes team and playing with the San Francisco Drakes.
Keith Uyeda, panelist:
Keith Uyeda is a long-time player and coach with the San Francisco Drakes basketball organization. Keith grew up in the JA basketball community, both youth and adult, and has spent many years coaching youth, girls and boys. Keith currently coaches an 8th grade boys team for BCSFYAO.
About the Nikkei Heritage Basketball Association
The Nikkei Basketball Heritage Association (NBHA) is a nonprofit organization that seeks to secure and perpetuate the foundational cultural values and traditions of the Japanese American community basketball leagues in Southern California. NBHA’s mission is to provide leadership development and education of the cultural history of Nikkei values and community.
NBHA formed out of the concern of a number of problems occurring in today’s Japanese American (JA) basketball leagues. These problems include a lack of sportsmanship, over-competitiveness, and disrespect for officials and others. These are problems that were rarely seen during the early decades of Japanese American basketball, when players, parents, and others acted in accordance with Japanese cultural values.
As a solution, NBHA will develop educational programs which emphasize the cultural value foundation of Japanese American (JA) basketball. Programs will include documenting the origins of JA basketball and their historical evolution to present day. Oral histories of JA basketball pioneers will be collected and data incorporated into the curriculum. The result will be comprehensive learning resources to educate present and future generations what makes JA basketball unique. These programs will be offered to the NBHA organizational members and other community non-profit partners.
MISSION
To provide leadership development and education of the cultural history of Nikkei values and community.
For more information on the Nikkei Basketball Heritage Association, visit their website at: https://jabasketball.org/