In a surprising move, the Toronto Raptors have announced they’ve parted ways with Vice Chairman and President, Masai Ujiri.
Shams Charania of ESPN reports that Ujiri, who was in the final year of his contract, and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment decided to make the move.
Ujiri became GM of the Raptors in 2013 and orchestrated the trade for Kawhi Leonard in 2018, who led Toronto to its first and only NBA title in 2019.
But since that time, the team has had only three winning seasons and only made the playoffs twice. In the last three seasons, the team has failed to make the postseason.
While not many knew of Ujiri, the events immediately after the Raptors beat the Warriors in 2019 for the NBA title changed that.
As he was walking onto the floor to celebrate with the team, he got into an ugly altercation with Alan Strickland, an Alameda County sheriff’s deputy, that resulted in lawsuits and discussions of race in sports.
The suits were eventually dropped and two years later, Ujiri signed a new deal with the team that made him Vice Chairman and President of the Raptors.
But now, the former NBA Executive of the Year as the Nuggets’ general manager will be leaving the team where he won an NBA Championship.
