Masai Ujiri
Vice-Chairman and President, Toronto Raptors; Founder, Giants of Africa; Founder, Zaria Group
Masai Ujiri began his career as basketball scout, working for teams traveling the world and searching for talent in gyms all over the globe. He was named general manager of the Denver Nuggets in 2011, becoming the first African GM in pro sports, and won the 2013 NBA Executive of the Year award. Under his leadership, the Raptors won the 2019 NBA Championship. Masai has served as director of the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders Africa program. He has travelled with the Prime Minister as part of the Canadian delegation to the 2019 African Union meetings and serves on the advisory board of the Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace and Security. He has been named an officer to the Order of Canada for his contributions as an NBA executive and humanitarian.
In 2003, Masai founded Giants of Africa, an organization which uses sport as a tool to enrich the lives of youth on the continent, and create opportunities for them on and off the court. countries. In 2021, Giants of Africa committed to building 100 basketball courts as part of a continent-wide investment in sports infrastructure. To celebrate the organization’s 20th anniversary, the inaugural Giants of Africa Festival united over 250 youth from 16 African nations to Kigali, Rwanda for a week-long celebration of basketball, education, culture, and entertainment in August 2023. Also in 2023, Masai unveiled Zaria Court, a sustainably-designed, and impact-driven urban development project that is focused on community, hospitality, sports and culture in Kigali, Rwanda.
