Front Burner - On the court with Raptors President Masai Ujiri

Episode Date: September 8, 2021

Masai Ujiri recently signed on to become vice-chairman of the Toronto Raptors, in addition to his role as the NBA team's president. Today, he talks to host Jayme Poisson about what it means to rebuild the team after Kyle Lowry's departure, his commitment to growing African basketball, and why he wants to stay in Toronto.

In the Dragon's Den, a simple pitch can lead to a life-changing connection. Watch new episodes of Dragon's Den free on CBC Gem. Brought to you in part by National Angel Capital Organization, empowering Canada's entrepreneurs through angel investment and industry connections. This is a CBC Podcast. All right, so we are just outside the famous OVO Centre in Toronto, and we are about to go talk to Masai Ujiri. And we're going to talk to him about his new role as vice chairman and president of the Raptors. I want to ask him about the work that he's doing all over Africa to foster talent and give opportunities to young people there.

And I also want to ask you about this past year, playing basketball in the NBA bubble during sort of an extraordinary time, protests in the wake of George Floyd's death. So let's go in. Thank you so much. No problem. Here we are. Wonderful. Hi, Jamie. Hi, hi. How are you?

Good. Hi, Masai. It is such a pleasure to have you here. Thank you so much for joining me. Thank you for having me. And I'll say for our listeners, we are actually sitting in the middle of the OVO practice court, which is pretty cool. Really cool. A few weeks ago, you signed on to be both vice chairman and president of the Raptors. And you said that you're here to stay.

And I know a lot of people thought maybe you'd leave, maybe you'd head to a bigger market like New York. And what is keeping you here in Toronto? Big question. You started off with a big one huh? No, Toronto has become home you know for me for my family there's something about the space of Toronto of Canada that really is special. It gives me a good platform to speak, to represent, and it's a unique space. Why do you think that is?

What makes it so unique? There's a lot to do with, I think, the diversity of the country, the city, Toronto. I think different people from all works of life, all parts of the world, different parts of the world. And there's a freeness. There's a certain way, you know, that a lot of people around the world don't even know.

And sometimes we inside don't even know. You know, as someone who grew up in toronto whenever i hear you talk about the city it makes me feel really guilty that i'm always complaining about the traffic but i i seriously i saw you the other day um uh you were introducing this art installation that you helped put together at union station um and you got a bit emotional when you started to talk about all the diverse faces that that you see when when you look up in the stands during during a Raptors game. And I come to the games every day I see people from everywhere. In your new role as vice chairman, what changes for you, if anything? I think first on the emotion, you know, it's to me, it's very important that people understand that we do have issues, you know, like here and everywhere in the world. And that's what resonates with me in some kind of way that we have

people from all over the world and we all need to treat each other better. Yeah, when I look at black people, I look at indigenous people, I look at what's going on with Asians. We just need to be better. And do you think in your role now as president and vice chairman, you have more of an ability to speak to those issues, to address those issues? I hope I do. It's not only you can't just speak alone. You have to act, right? There's the platform and the voice.

I also have to represent. And you're represented by actions. You are good friends with Barack Obama. Paul Kagame is, I believe, one of your mentors as well. When you think about leadership, what are the most important qualities to you? What I've learned from these people are, you know, they are incredible visionaries. Then I think as a leader, you have to have the ability to hire people that are smart and in fact smarter than you as a leader. And I think it's, I think these guys,

these guys do it. What do you think your greatest strength is as a leader? I have no idea. I have no idea why they let me do this. You know why? One of the things I was humbled by was when I'm with these guys and they ask me questions, yeah, it baffles me because they know everything. Yeah, so why would they ask me questions yeah it baffles me because they know everything yeah so why would they ask me a question and i've had moments with president kagame or

or 44 or justin trudeau and they you know they are inquisitive in their minds too you know and very um filled with information so much information it's it's it's really like it's mind-boggling i wonder if we can spend a bit of time talking about kyle lowry lowry's been hot that continues kyle lowry for green tea how does a young guy from North Philadelphia, who had all kinds of questions about him, not tall enough, not fast enough, not athletic, how does he become an NBA champion? Hard work.

Never let nobody tell you you can't do something special. And just a great group of guys. Yeah, I can't really think right now. This is crazy. This is awesome, man. Toronto, Canada, we brought it homeonto canada we brought it home baby we brought it home you you wonder if that is the final walk of the greatest raptor of all time in kyle lowry yes so uh this this team arguably said goodbye recently to its heart and soul

and he's someone who's always loved the challenge, I think probably of being underestimated. And he walked away the greatest Raptor of all time. And I know you have also said that. And I wonder if you could reflect on what's different about the Kyle Lowry who came nine years ago and the Kyle Lowry who left. He's nine years older. years ago and the Kyle Lowry who left he's nine years older yeah he sees somebody that's really courageous somebody that wants to be bigger better and that's what Kyle was you know like and yeah we had our ups and downs and yeah yeah, he had his moments, you know. But I've always said it, you know, like he's always been respectful. He's always been that, you know.

But he wears his emotions on his sleeves too, you know. And he might be one of the most competitive persons I've ever been around. I've been in a gym where they are playing pickup in the middle of September. Season hasn't started. Nothing is going on. And he's ruthless. You know, like this is how his mind works. And I think those competitive people in the world,

you know, have an edge about them. The most incredible thing is how his game has evolved with time. He's very thoughtful. He's a visionary of the game. He knew where the three-point game was going and how he established it. As a human being, family guy, Kyle Lowry is Kyle Lowry in the best. It's Kyle Lowry, you know, in the best. I wonder how you think his story and his trajectory might fit into sort of the larger story of the Raptors evolution, maybe especially as a team works to rebuild that. You know, I want to hope that there's going to be bigger and better than Kyle Lowry because he has opened up that door.

Yeah, he's, yeah, all these records and what he's done, you know, these things, he broke other people's records. You know, like there are other people that were spoken of as the best Raptors of all times. You know, like you can argue Vince Carter and how he made young players want to set up Corey Josephs and the Wiggins and all these guys, the Barretts. R.J. Barrett, the latest and some say the biggest name in basketball to come out of Canada. He's already got the hardware, including a recent Harry Jerome Award, an accolade usually reserved for people so much further into their careers.

They watched Vince Carter, right? At one point, you could argue DeMar, you know, like what DeMar did, incredible. And it was unfortunate how everything went, you know, like, but I still see him that way. You know, like he's a Raptor that stands out in an incredible way. Yeah, and then you look at people that were here too that didn't stay that long you know like kawaii leonard might arguably to be you know like a one-year greatest raptor of all time yeah you know what i mean like so and then the talents of the tracy mcgrady's or chris b's, you know, like, so, but Kyle just came on, you know, and that took off. And what gives the most credit to that? It's championship.

Do you think, he was also talking about leadership. He was a leader on the team. And is there a deficit on the team now and do you have to kind of rebuild rebuild that no we're going to rebuild as a team we're a young team but we there's no deficit in leadership you know fred is an unbelievable leader yeah this is where everybody is going to see now you know like the kind of leader he is and one other team of now there's going to be growing pains trust me you know like it's not sometimes it's going to be growing pains trust me you know like it's not sometimes it's going to be tough to watch you know like but um we know what's coming we know you know we're um we're excited about the young talent they are excited to play i think to see

how og pascal fred are going to evolve as leaders, as lead players. And then the young guys, you know, like the Barnes, the Malachais, the Delanos. In sports, people think now, right? You know, and this is where we have to be patient, you know, like and let it grow. Right, right. Maybe it's not just sports that people are so obsessed with now um but you're saying this is a long a long game um you're not only known for the work that you do with the raptors but you also have a reputation for helping african players find their path within the nba players like pascal like surge arguably the biggest star from the last nba season yannis almani william Williams as Mikkel Bridges running the floor.

Shot blocked by Antetokounmpo. Once again comes out of nowhere and throws it off the backboard. Giannis down the other end. He packs it home. Giannis on the break. To the rim. Push the barrel. No doubt, given he was the two-time MVP in the league,

this year's Bill Russell finals MVP,is Atetokounmpo. Yanis is originally from Nigeria as are you and can you talk to me a little bit about your connection with him? You know I don't talk too publicly about that one. Giannis and his family are so dear to me. We just have a unique relationship and friendship that honestly now goes beyond basketball. So I leave it at that. Might you talk about what it meant to you when you saw him crowned last season's MVP? Yeah, incredible.

I remember watching it and feeling incredibly proud of what the young man accomplished. And that fight, to see that spirit, you've seen it from a young age it was incredible I'll see you next time. through Angel Investment and Industry Connections. That's not a typo. 50%. That's because money is confusing. In my new book and podcast, Money for Couples, I help you and your partner create a financial vision together. To listen to this podcast, just search for Money for Couples. We're seeing more African players than ever before in the NBA. And I wonder where you expect things to be 10, 20 years from now. The camps are growing. The players, social media, things are even more exposed.

How do we build infrastructure? How do we continue to grow the game? Coaching, all those things are becoming more difficult as the game gets wider and wider. But I'm encouraged by the Bar League. that become more difficult as the game gets wider and wider. But I'm encouraged by the Ball League. It's incredible that the NBA was able to do this. I'll just note for our listeners, this is the Basketball Africa League, sort of a premier men's league that is fairly new. Yes, started first championship was in April this year.

Talking about building infrastructure and the camps, you do so much of that work through Giants of Africa. And I think you now operate in 17 countries on the continent. And I wonder how does that work connect with your upbringing in Nigeria and falling in love with basketball? Well, when we do camps, the kids sit on the floor, and we speak to them, and I sat on the floor, just like that, basketball camp,

for my beloved coach in Nigeria, Oliver Johnson, who was an American that moved to Nigeria with a Peace Corps, and started coaching basketball. And when I look at those kids, I see myself. And when I see myself, I see those kids, you know, in every single way. Yeah, if I can make it and I can get to this place, when I say make it, I mean make it up to the NBA, these kids can make it even further. You know, like they are more talented.

They're smarter. But these youth, they need a path. Yeah. And the education of sports for me becomes really incredibly important for them to grow. You know, I know you certainly touched on this already, but I wonder if you could just elaborate for me a little bit more. Like, you go back every year in your time off, and I guess you don't have to go back every year in your time off. You could just... Don't tell my wife.

You could just take the time off, right? You're killing me right now. So why? This is what we were born to do. You know, this is, it's an obligation for me. If I'm put in this chair to be the president of the Toronto Raptors, and I don't win, and I don't win for others, I don't know where success is. The success comes from really building and growing those youth on the continent of Africa and everywhere around the world.

And I feel that it's an obligation. I was watching this HBO documentary about you recently, and there's this moment. You bring the trophy, the Larry O'Brien trophy, back to Nigeria, and you're sitting with your parents, and you say... Thank you for raising me the right way. I came from something. I came from something big. I wonder, can you take me back to that moment?

What did you mean when you said that? Well, look at where my parents set me up to be. They raised me the right way. My dad would always say to me, be honest to people, respect people, respect women. respect people, respect women, you know, and those things always resonated, you know, with me in an incredible way, you know, and it's funny, you come down to the basic fundamentals of life of looking somebody in the eye and telling them hello or showing some kind of kindness. Everybody can be as smart as they want to be, or anybody can go on the internet as much as they want.

But who are you as a person? Who are you as a human being? And I said I come from something big because they made me at least think about life that way. I wonder if we could spend a little bit of time also talking about the past year in the NBA. So other than being an advocate for African basketball, you've also been outspoken on issues of racial justice.

And we really saw that come to a head in the NBA bubble after the death of George Floyd. All you do is keep hearing about fear. after the death of George Floyd. All you do is keep hearing a fear. It's amazing why we keep loving this country, and this country does not love us back. Over the last few days in our home state of Wisconsin, we've seen the horrendous video of Jacob Blake being shot in the back

seven times by a police officer in Kenosha, We are scared as black people in America. Black men, black women, black kids. We are terrified. Players wear messages on their jersey. They withhold their work. They shut down games. And it was this incredible demonstration of showing the world their influence and power. It's sort of a transcended sport, right?

And I wonder what you took away from that time. Whatever we took away is still happening now. You know, like, I think what George Floyd did was, I think, set up the whole world for another movement. You know, like, that just continues. The one thing I loved about the past year and a half was, yeah, in some ways, black people became bolder when George Floyd's neck cop had his knee and his neck okay he's crying for his mom he's bleeding he's peeing on himself yeah and go nowhere. He's handcuffed. Who are you as a human being?

You don't need to be a cop. Who were those people standing there that were actually seeing this happen? I look at that and I think there's ways and ways to go where we all have to respect each other and know that this doesn't matter anymore. I said, the color of our skin is old-fashioned. It doesn't matter where you're born. You could be born somewhere completely different.

I look at my daughter. She could have been born in Samburu. She could have been born in Libya. She could have been born in Samburu. She could have been born in Libya. She could have been born in many different places. Does that make her a different, beautiful, unbelievable girl? It doesn't. Do you see the Raptors and the NBA, I guess by extension, playing an important role moving forward here?

Making sure that these issues stay in the spotlight, that people are talking about them? Yes, I do. I do. I think the players are doing an incredible job, individually and collectively, where they can. We have to think about them too as youth. They need guidance. They need exposure too.

We need to give them even a bigger platform, you know, like to speak about these things, to act on these things, to give them resources, you know, like because they are the ones that kids look up to. I wonder if we could talk about something that I don't want to spend too much time rehashing because I know it is very much in the past, but our listeners will, of course, know about the altercation that you had after the NBA championship win

with the officer in Oakland. I just wonder, now that you have gone through the legal system, if there's anything that you have taken away from that experience that you might like to share with us. Yes, plenty. It showed me that experience, Yes, plenty. It showed me that experience and that incidence just showed me that I am a public figure and I had an opportunity to tackle this issue because of my position. And it makes me think that people that are not in my position or people that don't have the opportunity that I have, it made me really think, how do they come out of this? How do they survive? It happens everywhere. There are no cameras. There's no bail money. There's no lawyers. I had all of those. So in some ways, I was blessed

that it came out that way where I can actually now figure out ways, and I'm working hard on it, you know, to help other people. We know that, of course, you want the Raptors to win another championship. We all want that, of course. You want the Raptors to win another championship. We all want that, of course. But I guess one question that I hear a lot of people talk about when they talk about you is what might come next. I guess, you know, we talked about some people that you're very close with, Barack Obama. You know, you were just on the campaign trail with Justin Trudeau.

Do you see yourself maybe pursuing a future in politics? People talk about that a lot when they talk about you. They do? They do. I hear it all the time. Yeah, I am interested, you know, in what goes on in the world. The way I look at it is I have a good voice where I am today. And I'm appreciative of that. And I don't take it for granted.

So we'll see what the future brings. So maybe. So I'm telling you I'm already a politician from that answer. You just won't answer the question. You're perfect. You're perfect. Final question. I'm hoping that we can end this conversation which has been wonderful thank you so much um with the high point of your professional career uh the the nba championship night in oakland and i wonder if there's a quiet moment that you might be willing to share with us

about that night that will sort of stay with you forever. There are a couple moments of it. And because of what happened in Oakland. The moment on the court was taken away from me. But I will never ever forget. My wife ordering. I can't remember if it was in and out. Or Chick-fil-A,

and we had to fly back to Toronto because my daughter was graduating from, when you have five, what are you graduating from? Maybe kindergarten? Was she spied? Yes, kindergarten. But when we got on the plane, and we had the burgers, and the pilots had champagne for us,

it was the moment, just two of us, you know, like there. And all the texts that you got from friends, people, well-wishers, everybody, prayers from Africa. friends people well-wishers everybody prayers from africa and then you take off and i don't i don't know i can't remember if we had wi-fi on the plane or we slept off and then you wake up in the morning in toronto and there's another millions of texts that came in that moment those moments were incredible you know like to just sit back and you are not even being bothered by anybody but this. To see my kids, you know, like when you walk into the door and we came in from San Francisco, we've come from the airport. It was the most incredible like feeling because they had watched it, they had followed it, and you can actually feel it even though they were young.

Yeah, that's really wonderful. Masayu Jiri, thank you so much for this. Thank you. Thank you for having me. Thank you. All right, so before I let you go, some Raptors-related news. After a season spent in Tampa, the team is set to return to Toronto October 20th. They'll be playing against the Washington Wizards at Scotiabank Arena. Pretty sure there will be a huge welcome home then. But fans will have to wait a little longer for Kyle Lowry, a.k.a. the greatest Raptor of all time, to be back in the city.

Lowry, who's with the Miami Heat now, won't be visiting with his new team until February 3rd. That is all for today. I'm Jamie Poisson. Thanks so much for listening to FrontBurner, and we'll talk to you tomorrow. For more CBC Podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.