Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri has reportedly accepted an important new contract with the team. The 51-year-old was at the end of his deal with the Ontario team and was being courted all over the NBA.
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News of the recent deal was reported by ESPN on Thursday. Ujiri would retain the same functions, both executive and athletic, in addition to continuing his philanthropic work.
The Nigerian-born Englishman is one of the main architects of the Raptors’ recent successes. Arriving in May 2013 after a three-year stint with the Denver Nuggets, Ujiri was able to successfully rebuild the Toronto franchise.
One of his good moves was promoting Nick Nurse to head coach in 2018, which among other things saw the only Canadian team in the league make the playoffs seven times on eight occasions, in addition. to win the first championship in the history of the organization in 2019.
In Toronto to stay
Last May, he had mentioned that his desire to stay in the Queen City was not due to money, but above all to the future vision of its owners. In a video posted to the Raptors Twitter account on Thursday, Ujiri once again made his intentions known.
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. We will win in Toronto. I am grateful for the opportunity to lead this team. I love being the leader of the Toronto Raptors, and I’m here to stay, ”said Ujiri.
Very involved at the community level, the father spoke publicly against racism and for the right to immigration. In December 2019, he launched his philanthropic platform “That’s Humanity”.
