Masai Ujiri

Masai Ujiri is the general manager for the Toronto Raptors of the NBA. Prior to his basketball passion, Ujiri grew up playing soccer until he was 13 years old. Ujiri’s interest in basketball began when he would play on the outdoor courts in Nigeria as a teenager. His basketball interest only grew when as he read American sports magazines and watched VHS tapes of NBA games. Ujiri moved to the United States and played basketball at Bismarck State College before transferring to Montana State University-Billings. Ujiri spent six years playing professional basketball in Europe and his career came to an end in 2002. Ujiri met David Thorpe while he was attending an NBA summer league game and Thorpe introduced Ujiri to college coaches. Ujiri began as a youth coach in Nigeria, and then he became an unpaid scout for the Orlando Magic. Ujiri was then hired as an international scout and in 2008, he became the general manager of the Toronto Raptors.