The present versions of the NAU (Nisei Athletic Union), EBYAL (East Bay Youth Athletic
League), and EBGAL (East Bay Girls Athletic League) have roots that were planted in the late 1940s during the post-internment/resettlement period.

In 1947 Iwao Kawakami was instrumental in the formation of the Nisei Athletic Union. Using his position at the Nichi Bei Times newspaper, he called out to the community for teams wanting to participate in an organized basketball league after the previous basketball season consisted
of barnstorming and pick-up games; this mirrored the period of Japanese-Americans looking to re-establish themselves in the wake of World War II.