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United States Masai Ujiri has transitioned from a professional basketball player to a highly successful executive, leading teams to championships and fostering basketball development across Africa.
Masai Ujiri's Limited-Edition Collab With Canada Goose Is ..., Below, we chatted with Ujiri about his relationship to Toronto, the multi-year partnership with Canada Goose and the meaningful work that ...
Harry Rosen Partners with Toronto Raptors President ..., The 2.0 capsule collaboration is between business leader and philanthropist Ujiri and celebrated Canadian luxury designer Patrick Assaraf.
Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri Signs with WME Sports, The Hollywood talent agency will focus on expanding Ujiri's business opportunities across content, brand partnerships, books, speaking and ...
Ujiri sponsors camps for African big men with help from Nike.
Ujiri conducts a camp for the top 50 players of Nigeria, which is sponsored by Nestlé Milo.
Born in Bournemouth, England, in 1970 to Nigerian and Kenyan parents, Masai Ujiri moved to Nigeria at age two and grew up in Zaria. He initially focused on association football before developing an interest in basketball at 13. Ujiri pursued his basketball aspirations, playing at Nathan Hale High School in Seattle, followed by two years at Bismarck State College where he achieved an average of 12.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game as a freshman, and 16.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.5 assists as a sophomore, earning All-Mon-Dak Conference first-team and All-Region XIII honors. He briefly attended Montana State University Billings before returning to Europe for a professional playing career, including stints with Solent Stars and Derby Rams.
After concluding his playing career in 2002, Ujiri became an unpaid scout for the Orlando Magic and later joined the Denver Nuggets as an international scout. His career progressed within the Toronto Raptors organization as Director of Global Scouting and then assistant general manager in 2008. In 2010, Ujiri returned to the Denver Nuggets as general manager and executive vice president of basketball operations, where he built a team that achieved 57 wins, the most in franchise history, earning him the NBA Executive of the Year award in 2013. He is the only non-American to receive this honor.
Ujiri rejoined the Toronto Raptors in 2013 as executive vice president and general manager, later becoming president of basketball operations in 2016. Under his leadership, the Raptors secured their first NBA championship in 2019, a significant milestone for the franchise. He restructured the team, notably trading for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, a move that proved pivotal to their championship success. In June 2025, Ujiri parted ways with the Toronto Raptors after 13 seasons. Beyond his executive roles, Ujiri founded Giants of Africa in 2003 to discover basketball talent and has served as director of the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders Africa program, promoting basketball development across the continent. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2023 for his distinguished contributions.
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