Former Raptors president Masai Ujiri bids farewell to Toronto with YouTube video

The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jul 07, 2025 12:01 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Masai Ujiri bid farewell to Toronto Raptors fans Monday successful a YouTube video.

The Raptors announced June 28 that Ujiri had been fired arsenic the team's vice-chairman and president, marking the extremity of a much than decade-long tally that delivered the franchise its archetypal NBA championship.

Ujiri was heading into the last twelvemonth of his declaration with the team.

But Keith Pelley, the president and main enforcement serviceman of Raptors proprietor Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, said astatine the clip of the announcement that the determination to determination connected from Ujiri was made astir a period ago.

Ujiri, 55, posted his farewell connected his Giants of Africa channel. He thanked the organization, the fans and players, past and present.

He said his household built a basal successful Toronto and the metropolis is the "only home" his kids person known, portion referring to it arsenic location himself aggregate times.

"Toronto, Canada, I emotion you. (The) state that welcomed me, the metropolis that became home. This enslaved we stock volition past forever," helium said. "As I look backmost astatine much than a decennary of heartfelt moments, I'm overwhelmed with gratitude."

Ujiri was hired arsenic wide manager of the Raptors successful 2013, and helium called his commencement starring Toronto's hoops operations "a accidental to displacement the culture."

"A accidental to win, and triumph is what we did," helium said arsenic the video showed highlights of the Raptors' highs and lows of a squad led by Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, and past the 2018-19 squad that won the NBA title.

Ujiri suggested helium mightiness inactive beryllium progressive with hoops successful Toronto, mentioning the Tempo and their WNBA debut play adjacent year.

"I'll beryllium close present erstwhile our Toronto Tempo makes past successful the WNBA, continuing my committedness to hoops crossed the globe, wherever it takes me," helium said. "My dreams of a 2nd title are live and well.

"And that pursuit volition surely transportation connected arsenic my adjacent section begins."

WATCH | Masai Ujiri epoch ends successful Toronto: