Masai Ujiri era ends in Toronto as Raptors move on from longtime president

The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jun 27, 2025 9:38 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

Masai Ujiri is retired arsenic vice-chairman and president of the Toronto Raptors, marking the extremity of a much than decade-long tally that delivered the franchise's archetypal NBA title.

The sides parted ways Friday, with Ujiri heading into the last twelvemonth of his contract.

The dismissal continues Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment's inclination of moving connected from squad presidents — Brendan Shanahan was fto spell past period by the Maple Leafs, and Bill Manning was shown the doorway past twelvemonth by some Toronto FC and the Argonauts.

"During his 13 seasons with the Raptors, Masai has helped alteration the enactment connected the tribunal and has been an inspirational person disconnected it," said MLSE President & CEO Keith Pelley successful a statement. "He brought an NBA Championship to Toronto and urged america to judge successful this city, and ourselves.

"We are grateful for each helium has done and privation him and his household the precise best. As we program for the franchise's future, and its instrumentality to the NBA Playoffs, a hunt for the successor arsenic president of the Raptors, led by CAA Executive Search, volition statesman immediately."

In a release, MLSE said wide manager Bobby Webster had been extended, but the presumption of the declaration were not released.

"We are assured that the Raptors organization, nether the guidance of Bobby and his team, is successful a large place," Pelley said. "They person a program successful spot for adjacent play and beyond arsenic the squad continues its rebuild, and we person assurance successful their quality to execute and ultimately, to excel.

"We consciousness the squad is successful a strong, unchangeable place, and we judge the summation of a caller president volition proceed to determination the Raptors forward, towards our adjacent NBA championship."

The squad has called a quality league for 1 p.m. Friday.

Ujiri's bold moves paid off

Ujiri was contiguous astatine the OVO Athletic Centre, the Raptors' grooming facility, astir an hr earlier the archetypal circular of the NBA Draft began connected Wednesday. He walked astir the nationalist country and greeted reporters successful the media centre.

Ujiri guided the Raptors to their lone NBA rubric successful 2019 aft a bid of bold moves, including trading prima DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard and firing manager Dwane Casey successful favour of Nick Nurse.

Under Ujiri, the Raptors made the playoffs 7 consecutive seasons from 2013-14 to 2019-20.

While Leonard packed his bags for Los Angeles to play for the Clippers successful escaped bureau aft the championship, the Raptors remained a unit successful the pandemic-interrupted 2019-20 season. Toronto finished the regular play with the league's second-best grounds earlier losing to the Boston Celtics successful Game 7 of a second-round bid successful the league's bubble successful Orlando, Fla.

Kyle Lowry, a pillar of the Raptors' astir palmy tally successful squad history, went to Miami successful a sign-and-trade pursuing that season, and Toronto has since missed the post-season 4 of the past 5 years, including the past three, arsenic Ujiri committed to a rebuild amid a trying 2023-24.

Longtime constituent defender Fred VanVleet had already bolted to Houston successful escaped bureau earlier that season, with Ujiri yet trading forwards Pascal Siakam and O.G. Anunoby to Indiana and New York earlier the commercialized deadline.

The trades near backup guardant Chris Boucher arsenic the past subordinate remaining from the 2019 rubric team.

Toronto went 25-57 successful 2023-24, pursuing that up with a 30-52 grounds past season.

An adjunct wide manager successful Toronto successful 2008 earlier taking implicit arsenic GM of the Denver Nuggets, Ujiri was rehired by the Raptors to tally hoops operations successful May 2013.