Masai Ujiri Articles - Page 2

What happened to the Toronto Raptors? Winning their first championship in 2019 with Nick Nurse as a rookie head coach and putting together five consecutive 50-win seasons from 2016-2020, the Raptors were one of the league’s most dominant  teams. Over the last four seasons though, Toronto has won just one playoff series and they have […]

The Toronto Raptors are facing plenty of uncertainties this 2023 offseason, but none bigger than the direction they would want to take moving forward. According to reports, the Raptors are still pondering what they want to do as a team starting in the 2023-24 season. Do they want to keep their core and try to […]

Not too long ago, the Toronto Raptors achieved the unthinkable by defeating the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals. Led by superstar Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors captured their first championship in franchise history and appeared to be a new powerhouse in the Eastern Conference for many years to come. But since that championship, […]

The Toronto Raptors had a disappointing 2023 season that ended in them missing the NBA Playoffs. With the offseason in full swing for President Masai Ujiri, the frustration of the regular season is now boiling into offseason negotiations with Fred VanVleet, reports Heavy’s Steve Bulpett. “Masai (Ujiri) is really, really frustrated,” one general manager who […]

The Toronto Raptors finished the 2022-23 season in disappointing fashion. Their entire season was an uneven and inconsistent journey but they managed to somewhat salvage it with a top-ten finish and a chance at the playoffs. Instead, all they’ll be remembered for is DeMar DeRozan’s daughter whom they witnessed grow up only to have her […]

The NBA offseason has begun for a handful of teams across the league, with two such teams being the Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors. Both squads have already made big moves with the NBA Playoffs underway, as the Wizards fired their general manager Tommy Sheppard, and the Raptors fired their head coach in Nick Nurse. […]

The Toronto Raptors were expected to be heavily involved in trades today. Yet, the 3PM deadline came and went, and the only transaction the team made was a deal with the San Antonio Spurs. According to Raptors president Masai Ujiri, “the opportunity was not there” for a blockbuster trade (h/t Sportsnet’s Blake Murphy). They didn’t trade […]

The NBA announced on Monday that Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri was fined $35,000 for inappropriate comments he made towards an official during the Raptors loss to the Miami Heat on Saturday. According to the release, Ujiri was fined for, “approaching the scorer’s table and directing inappropriate remarks toward a game official.” It was a […]

Toronto Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri shared his honest thoughts on Scottie Barnes ahead of the 2022-2023 season. Barnes, who enjoyed a strong rookie year, has aspirations of developing into a true star. And Ujiri believes he’s capable of making a jump, per Josh Lewenberg on Twitter. “We’re happy with his progress,” Ujiri […]

The Toronto Raptors took a step back in the 2021-22 NBA season when they missed the NBA Playoffs after making the postseason cut in the prior campaign. Nevertheless, if the Raptors are going to make it back there in 2023, guard Fred VanVleet will definitely have to be one of the major reasons why. VanVleet […]

The NBA Summer League is a chance for young players to make their impression on their respective teams, with the hopes of making a big enough impact to warrant a roster spot in the upcoming season. It is also an opportunity for team general managers not only to scout players but also, to engage in […]

The Toronto Raptors went into the 2022 NBA Draft with one glaring need: A legitimate shot-blocking, rim-running big man. By the end of Thursday night, they had just that. The Raptors took University of Arizona standout Christian Koloko with their lone pick in the second round, 33rd overall. Another Cameroonian prospect just like Pascal Siakam, […]

The Toronto Raptors, led by president and vice chairman Masai Ujiri, have earned respect from the NBA as one of the league’s best franchises. Now, the championship-winning organization could be expanding into a new domain of professional basketball: the WNBA. Toronto’s possible expansion into the WNBA has circulated as the league looks to add an […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves are going big-name fishing to add a star this offseason. But the stars they are looking for right now aren’t on the court. They’re in the front office. The Timberwolves are looking into Tim Connelly, the Denver Nuggets’ president, for the same role in Minnesota. According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, […]

The Toronto Raptors are coming off an impressive season in which they outperformed expectations. The Raptors ended the season on a hot streak and finished with a 48-34 record. Unfortunately, the squad was unable to make any noise in the playoffs and was knocked out in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers. Masai Ujiri continued […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are in search of their next head coach. The Toronto Raptors happen to employ one of the best head coaches in the game in Nick Nurse. As with any Lakers pursuit, whether it be for a big-name star or a head coach, their front office goes after the biggest of big […]

The Toronto Raptors were bounced in the first round of the NBA Playoffs by the Philadelphia 76ers, but it was a promising season nonetheless. They put up a real fight and have a solid core in place for the future. However, the Raptors could use more depth at the five in particular and Masai Ujiri […]

In August of 2021, Kyle Lowry left his longtime team, the Toronto Raptors, for the Miami Heat. He was a part of a sign-and-trade between the Heat and the Raptors in which Toronto received Goran Dragić and Precious Achiuwa. Less than a month later, Lowry wrote “For My Toronto Family,” one of the latest pieces […]

The Los Angeles Lakers took a chance on former Toronto Raptors forward Stanley Johnson with another 10-day hardship contract recently, the last such deal they can offer him before they must make a roster decision on him. Johnson has played just a hair over 20 minutes per game for the Lakers but has played well […]

Toronto Raptors Vice-Chairman and President, Masai Ujiri has tested positive for COVID-19 and has entered the league’s coronavirus protocol effective immediately. As president, Ujiri is famous for helping Toronto win its first NBA championship in 2019, but his days in NBA basketball operations go back almost 20 years. He first became a scout in 2002 […]

Toronto Raptors head honcho Masai Ujiri recently got a promotion, but evidently it came with quite a bit of drama that explains why there was some mystery surrounding his future with the franchise before he finally got his new title. Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment board member Edward Rogers fought the plan to give Ujiri […]

Toronto Raptors fans are well-acquainted with the trade that netted them Kawhi Leonard. The one-year stint the Klaw had up north ended in a championship run, vindicating the decision to send DeMar DeRozan packing. While Raptors fans would do the trade a hundred times over, it was certainly bittersweet that DeRozan wasn’t a part of […]

In a recent interview with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson’s “All The Smoke” podcast, Carmelo Anthony reveals exactly what happened between him and the Denver Nuggets that forced him to request for a trade to the New York Knicks. Anthony explained in detail that he never really wanted to leave the Nuggets, but had no […]

The Toronto Raptors’ relationship with DeMar DeRozan has been quite complicated. The franchise won a championship, but they had to sacrifice DeRozan in the Kawhi Leonard trade to do it. In the process, Kyle Lowry has become the greatest Raptor in franchise history in the eyes of many. DeRozan was arguably better than Lowry during […]

Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri has had a lot on his plate this offseason. The team lost arguably the franchise’s greatest player ever in Kyle Lowry and it’s still unclear whether they’ll be able to play in Canada next season due to COVID-19 restrictions. Amid all these, Raptors fans can now breathe easier as Ujiri […]

The Toronto Raptors held a press conference and Masai Ujiri recently talked about rebuilding and not talking the superteam route just like the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Raptors notably ended the Golden State Warriors’ dynasty as they won the 2019 NBA Championship. However, ever since the Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard bolted […]

The Toronto Raptors are one of three organizations that are being investigated by the NBA for possible tampering involving the Kyle Lowry sign and trade that sent him to the Miami Heat. It’s unknown what will ultimately end up happening, but Raptors President Masai Ujiri has finally spoken out on the situation. Via TSN’s Josh […]

The man behind the controls of the Toronto Raptors who helped land Kawhi Leonard with the franchise and bring a championship to the city is getting a much-deserved bump up. Masai Ujiri is becoming Vice Chairman and President of the Toronto Raptors, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. ESPN Sources: Masai Ujiri – architect of […]

With a flurry of deals happening in this year’s offseason, a lot of rumors have been swirling around. Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam’s name has constantly been popping up in trade rumors recently. After the Raptors traded Kyle Lowry to the Heat and drafted Florida State’s Scottie Barnes with the fourth overall pick, Siakam’s time […]

The Toronto Raptors just suffered through a brutal 27-45 season. They had to play their home games in Tampa and dealt with a number of health issues, including a plethora of COVID-19 problems. By the end of the season, the Raptors mailed it in and didn’t even bother trying to get in the play-in tournament by […]

With the Toronto Raptors’ season over and done, the attention of the franchise now shifts to team president Masai Ujiri. More specifically on whether he would stay with the Raps or pack his bags somewhere else. There are also other top priorities in the offseason for the Raptors, like deciding on what to do with […]

Everybody knows Kyle Lowry will go down as the best Toronto Raptors member of all time, but the second one after him is up for debate–with DeMar DeRozan making a strong case. Heck, some could even argue it’s Kawhi Leonard after he led the franchise to its lone NBA title in 2019. However, Fred VanVleet […]

The Toronto Raptors just wrapped up a miserable 2020-21 season in which they finished with a record of 27-45. By the end of it, the Raptors were effectively tanking, sitting most of their top players and going with the younger guys in order to secure a better spot heading into the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery. […]

Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry was one of the biggest names expected to land on a different team on Thursday. But as time expired on the NBA trade deadline, he was surprisingly still a member of the Raptors. Shortly after the trade deadline passed, Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri addressed the events that […]

Masai Ujiri, the President of the Toronto Raptors, was falsely accused of trespassing in 2019 after the Raptors won the NBA Finals. He spoke about the event recently, recalling the incident that happened. Via Tim Bontemps of ESPN: “As much as we say ‘Yeah, this happened to me,’ there’s worse that’s happened to other people, […]

Masai Ujiri had to endure a long legal battle due to an incident that occurred during the 2019 NBA Finals involving security at Oracle Arena when the Toronto Raptors won the championship. After the lawsuit was dropped against Ujiri, the Raptors president released this powerful message after being vindicated: A statement from our president Masai […]

The lawsuit against Toronto Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri regarding an incident after Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals has been dropped. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) released the following statement, via TSN’s Josh Lewenberg: “Masai has been completely vindicated, as we always knew he would be. We are disappointed that […]

The Washington Wizards are coming off a big win over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, which was only their fourth win of the season. However, the team still finds itself at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and had lost three straight before the win over the Nets. Still, one thing that the Wizards reportedly […]

The Toronto Raptors did not have a pick entering the 2013 NBA Draft. Nevertheless, it did not stop then-newly hired executive vice president and general manager Masai Ujiri from actively pursuing one particular player he had his eyes on: Giannis Antetokounmpo. An old clip from the Raptors war room during the tense moments of the […]