It’s tough to be the first.

In professional sports, much emphasis is placed on someone’s ethnic nationality if they are the first of their race or ethnicity to achieve success.  I give you some names in that regard.  Jackie Robinson.  Roberto Clemente.  Yao Ming.  Hideo Nomo.  They broke through in their sports and became legends.

Seiya Ando hopes to follow in those footsteps.

Ando is a 6’1″ point guard who averaged 21 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds and two steals in college.  And by “college,” I mean Meiji University – in Japan.  The Halifax Rainmen of the National Basketball League of Canada signed Ando this week, which would make him one of the first players of Japanese descent to play in a North American professional league.

That’s a lot to live up to. But I respect what the Rainmen are doing and what Ando is trying to achieve. He wants to live his dream and he wants to achieve it against stronger competition.

And believe me, the NBL Canada’s lineups are getting stronger every day. Many teams have signed players from major colleges, including Big East schools, Big Ten schools and SEC schools. I’ve seen players with serious professional experience, including overseas stints. This is a league that is evolving and growing and expanding.

But it’s not just “I’m going to be the first.” If you’re going to make that statement, then you can’t just say, “I’m going to be the first player of my ethnicity to do this.” No. You need to say, “I’m going to be the first to SUCCEED.”

And believe me, there are plenty of people out there who will try to find a way to cut you down. Racist comments from the stands. Back-handed references to your home country by opposing sports reporters. It’s tough to overlook all that. It’s tough to surpass all that.

My advice, if it’s worth anything? Block it all out. Play the game. Show that you understand professional basketball, arguably one of the most instinctive team sports. No one wants you to be humble, no one wants you to be flashy. Points on the board, steals and assists – they will speak for you. And they will speak tremendously.

So good luck, Seiya Ando. Or should I say… if Google Translate will help me out…

グッドあなたに幸運、および北米であなたのキャリアは長く、成功することがあります。