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Ramona Shelburne
Multiple Authors
The ex-president of the Toronto Raptors, Masai Ujiri, has become part of the ownership collective for the Toronto Tempo, the metropolis’s new WNBA team scheduled to commence games this season.
“Women’s athletic competitions are experiencing remarkable expansion, in my opinion. This trend is evident across the WNBA, football, and ice hockey. Introducing a franchise of this caliber, for the inaugural time, to a metropolis I’m familiar with – a magnificent and fervent city I have faith in – I anticipate it will genuinely connect with the populace,” Ujiri informed ESPN. “For my family and me, this ownership stake represents an unparalleled prospect.”
Ujiri is aligning himself with the ownership collective spearheaded by Larry Tanenbaum, a partnership that yielded Toronto’s sole NBA championship in 2019. During the twelve months subsequent to his departure from the Raptors, Ujiri, who spent his formative years in Nigeria, dedicated his efforts to his engagements with Giants of Africa, the United Nations, and the Zaria Group, an entity developing athletic and recreational facilities across the African continent.
“My time has been extraordinarily occupied,” Ujiri remarked concerning his year-long absence from the NBA, which he primarily spent in Florida with his loved ones. “I had the chance to prioritize my family. I transitioned from having a chauffeur for over a decade, due to constant phone calls, to presently serving as a personal driver for my children.”
“My children are involved in various sports, so I transport them to multiple practices. Additionally, I’ve been engaged in developing venues and essential structures across the continent.”
“We recently finalized the athletic complex [in Rwanda], and currently, I’m collaborating with the U.N. in the Sahel [a zone in north-central Africa]. Furthermore, we plan to launch operations in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Mauritania in the coming weeks. Our commitment was to construct these sports facilities, and their quality is truly astonishing.”
Nevertheless, Ujiri has maintained a strong connection to the National Basketball Association community – frequently conversing with ex-Raptors athletes, trainers, management personnel, and various team proprietors, with an inclination towards rejoining the league in some capacity, should an appropriate opening arise.
“I’ve been deepening my understanding of our sport, the NBA, examining prevailing patterns and identifying potential shortcomings by analyzing other professional circuits,” he stated. “I dedicate considerable effort to this pursuit, as a primary objective of mine is to secure another championship title. My ambition is to achieve victory with the Tempo and to claim another NBA championship, given that I couldn’t genuinely rejoice or feel contentment due to the law enforcement encounter I experienced.”
Ujiri alluded to a particular occurrence where a law enforcement officer from the San Francisco region prevented him from entering the playing surface to commemorate the Raptors’ victory against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena, citing a lack of appropriate accreditation. This escalated into a physical confrontation, parts of which were recorded on film. The officer subsequently initiated legal action against Ujiri, claiming battery. Ujiri, in turn, filed a counter-suit, asserting that the video evidence clearly demonstrated the officer as “unquestionably the primary instigator” and implying that such a disrespectful interaction would not have transpired had he not been African American.
Ultimately, both sides withdrew their legal claims; however, Ujiri indicated that the encounter left an unpleasant impression, diminishing the Raptors’ championship triumph for him, and now fuels his aspiration to secure another title with a different organization in the future.
“A deep desire resides within me due to the preceding events,” he declared. “My aim is to achieve victory once more, allowing me to genuinely savor the accomplishment.”
In his role with the Tempo, he will be operating under Tanenbaum’s direction and collaborating with two senior managers he has been acquainted with for many years: team president Teresa Resch and general manager Monica Wright Rogers.
“Masai has served as a guiding figure for me since 2008, back when I participated in one of his training programs in Africa,” Resch communicated to ESPN. “We frequently engage in discussions regarding career and personal growth matters. Since his involvement as an owner, the dynamic has elevated. He possesses numerous ambitious concepts and also comprehends the intricacies of assembling a successful squad.”
Additionally, Ujiri is initiating Tempo Rising, a worldwide coaching guidance initiative developed in partnership with the Tempo organization. Tempo Rising aims to assist new women-identifying and non-binary coaches at an foundational stage, providing them with privileged entry to mentorship, career advancement resources, and direct coaching practical experience alongside Ujiri, Wright Rogers, and Tempo’s coach, Sandy Brondello.
