Masai Ujiri signs new deal to become vice-chairman, president of Toronto Raptors
The architect of the Toronto Raptors' championship team is staying with the NBA squad.
A team spokesperson confirmed to The Canadian Press that team president Masai Ujiri has signed a new deal to become the team's vice-chairman and president. Ujiri's previous deal was set to expire this summer.
"On the court, our goal is clear: to bring another championship to Toronto," Ujiri said in a statement.
"Our team is united in that mission. Nothing else will do. We will bring young talent to this city. We will value the veteran players who got us here.
"I've said it before and I'm saying it again: We will win in Toronto."
The team released a video on social media with Ujiri saying he is "here to stay" with the team and also lays out the philanthropic work he aims to continue doing.
"Masai and MLSE share the goals of bringing another NBA Championship to Toronto, and off the court, working towards making our city, country and world a better place," said Larry Tanenbaum, the chairman of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, in a statement.
"These are exciting times, and we look forward to all that comes next for our team, for Masai and for his family."
Ujiri guided the Raptors to the 2019 NBA title after a series of bold moves, including the trade of star DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard and the decision to fire coach Dwane Casey and replace him with Nick Nurse the previous summer.
Under Ujiri, the Raptors made the playoffs seven consecutive seasons before missing the post-season this year during a campaign in which they had to play home games in Tampa, Fla., because of COVID-19 restrictions.
Ujiri was on the verge of tears when speaking about the team at his post-season press conference on May 19 after a reporter asked him about the praise heaped on him by guards Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowry, Nurse and others.
Ujiri said he loved them "like they are my family."
Ujiri signed Nurse and general manager Bobby Webster to extensions during the last year, but said he preferred to wait until after this season to begin contract negotiations for himself.
An assistant general manager in Toronto in 2008 before becoming the GM of the Denver Nuggets, Ujiri was rehired by the Raptors to run basketball operations in May 2013.
The Raptors began their seven-year playoff run in Ujiri's first season.
The executive made headlines before the team's first playoff game, shouting "(Expletive) Brooklyn" to the delight of fans at an outdoor rally on the day of Game 1 against the Brooklyn Nets. Ujiri was fined US$25,000
He drew similar loud cheers from fans the next year during a playoff series against Washington when he responded to Wizards guard Paul Pierce saying the Raptors don't have the 'it' factor by responding "We don't give an (expletive) about it."
The Raptors won their first playoff series under Ujiri in 2016, but eventually bowed out against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference final.
James' Cavs also eliminated Toronto the next two years, prompting Ujiri to make his franchise-altering moves in trading DeRozan and firing Casey.
With Leonard leading the way, the Raptors attracted huge television numbers across Canada en route to the 2019 title.
After the clinching win in Oakland, Calif., Ujiri was involved in an altercation with a law-enforcement officer while trying to get onto the court, resulting in a lawsuit that was eventually dropped.
"Masai has been completely vindicated, as we always knew he would be," the Raptors' ownership group said in a statement.
While Leonard bolted for the Clippers in free agency after the championship, Ujiri's Raptors remained a force in the pandemic-interrupted 2019-20 season. Toronto finished the regular season with the league's second-best record before losing to the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of a second-round series in the league's bubble in Orlando, Fla.
The team took a step back in 2021, becoming thin at centre after Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol left in free agency. Despite being the only team not to be playing at home this season, the Raptors stayed in the playoff hunt before a COVID-19 outbreak hit the squad, resulting in a drop down the standings.
Raised in Nigeria, Ujiri has been a major advocate for Africa. His Giants of Africa basketball tour has been his passion project since 2003.
"We as Africans have to go back and do more," said Ujiri, who travelled with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Africa. "I have to continue to do more and more, to create more opportunity. It's very important that we tell the story and create the narrative there rather than somebody else create it for us."
The Raptors also have amplified the Black Lives Matter movement.
They rolled up to the NBA bubble in Black Lives Matters buses last year, and have practised in BLM shirts. They also urged and helped the 650,000 Americans living in Canada to register to vote in last year's U.S. election.
Ujiri also has been vocal about women in the workplace, and has nearly tripled the number of women in Toronto's front office since he took the top job.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 5, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests about relationship with Prince Harry
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they've changed their name
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
Trial begins for Winnipeg serial killer who claims he was mentally ill
The trial of a man who admits he killed four women in Winnipeg is set to begin Wednesday, and a law professor says lawyers for Jeremy Skibicki have multiple hurdles to clear for a defence of mental illness.
These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
New Canadian study could be a lifesaver for thousands suffering from CTE
A first-of-its-kind Canadian research study is working towards a major medical breakthrough for a brain disorder, believed to be caused by repeated head injuries, that can only be detected after death.
Rape, terror and death at sea: How a boat carrying Rohingya children, women and men capsized
In March, Indonesian officials and local fishermen rescued 75 people from the overturned hull of a boat off the coast of Indonesia. Until now, little was known about why the boat capsized.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.