Latest news with #BobbyWebster
National Post
16 hours ago
- Business
- National Post
SIMMONS: Firing Masai Ujiri is a huge mistake by MLSE
You don't fire Masai Ujiri. Not now. Not ever. You don't sack this man of integrity and character, who changed basketball in Canada, who changed the way in which the Raptors are perceived, who brought a certain cachet to the sport, his love of Africa and his pride in everything that is Canadian basketball. You don't fire him. Not under these murky and unspoken circumstances. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment CEO Keith Pelley couldn't easily explain why Ujiri was being let go Friday as president of the Raptors. Instead, he clumsily tripped over words that made no sense, answering little that was asked directly about the dismissal of the most important Raptor in the history of the franchise. Sounding more Peddie than Pelley, the CEO went through the how's and why's of Ujiri being replaced without ever really explaining why. What made less sense: Ujiri is out as president and he will be eventually replaced, Bobby Webster has a new deal as general manager and the front office staff of the Raptors has been retained. 'Change,' said Pelley, 'is inevitable. Thirteen seasons is a long time in a sports leadership role.' And then he explained what needed further explanation. He let Ujiri work the NBA draft for Toronto, knowing he was leaving the franchise. And that makes no sense. If he was being pushed out, they should have done so before the draft, not after it. And if the franchise isn't in great shape leadership-wise, why fire the president but retain the general manager and not only retain the GM, but extend him. All of this happening with Ujiri having one year remaining on his contact, due a 2% raise this coming season, and with a $1-million payment due to Giants of Africa, Ujiri's charity, very shortly. Pelley insisted the decision to fire Ujiri was his. Others outside the organization are not so convinced. 'Edward Rogers did this,' said a basketball insider. 'He doesn't like Masai. If Larry Tanenbaum was still in charge, Masai would still be running the Raptors.' It was Masai's way — his way or the highway — in his 13 years on the job. And many memories of all that made him different and special. ♦ ♦ ♦ In his first summer on the job in 2013, before the Raptors had played a single game under his leadership, Ujiri flew to Philadelphia for only one reason. He wanted to meet Kyle Lowry and get to know him — and find out whether he was worth keeping. He also wanted to shake him up just a little. 'How do you want to be perceived in the NBA?' he asked Lowry rather pointedly. Because back then, Ujiri suggested to the veteran point guard, you're wasting your career and most people look at you as a loser. The two went at it chapter and verse. With Ujiri tearing into Lowry, and Lowry from a position of weakness, trying to fight back. Whatever it was, Ujiri wasn't convinced he had a winner in Lowry. A few months after that, he thought he had a deal made to send Lowry to the New York Knicks. The deal was agreed upon along with the notion the Raptors would tank the season, looking to draft Canadian Andrew Wiggins in the first round of 2014. But the owner of the Knicks, James Dolan, called the deal off. The tanking of that season never happened. The Raptors won 48 games, the first of seven straight seasons making the playoffs. Lowry, the born hot-head, became the unlikely leader and best player for the Raptors. He would later attribute his change in career success to everything Masai had done for him. And the two even worked through and lived though a season in which they barely spoke to each other. Ujiri had traded Lowry's best friend, DeMar DeRozan, to San Antonio in a franchise-altering deal for Kawhi Leonard. He made the deal while telling DeRozan he wasn't going to trade him. Lowry, who had difficulty seeing beyond his own nose at times, didn't recognize he was playing for the best team of his time in Toronto. The two made up before the championship celebration in June of 2019. Lowry is expected to be the next Raptor to have his jersey retired by the team. A long time after having lunch — and being scolded — in Philadelphia. ♦ ♦ ♦ Leonard wanted to be traded — just not to Toronto. Not to Canada. Not to anywhere cold. Not to anywhere where he didn't have approval of his destination. The first time Leonard met with Ujiri after the deal for DeRozan was done, he asked a rather pointed question to Masai. 'Why did you trade for me?' said Leonard, who had played just nine games the year before the Spurs. Ujiri answered rather quickly: 'Because I think you're the best player in the NBA.' For a few seconds, there was just silence, which is something you come to expect being around Leonard, who was staring at Ujiri. And Ujiri was staring right back at Leonard. That year, with load management factoring into everything the Raptors did, Kawhi played just 60 regular season games for Toronto, hit the shot of all shots to win a playoff series against Philadelphia, had an incredible double overtime playoff win on an injured leg against Milwaukee and was named Finals MVP when the Raptors beat Golden State for their only NBA championship. Leonard had proven to be what Ujiri told he was when he first acquired him. When he played, he was the best player in the NBA. The Raptors will forever have a championship with his autograph all over it. The trade no one saw coming — the great gamble sending an established star in DeRozan for the question that was Leonard — proved to be the best work of Ujiri's time with the Raptors. ♦ ♦ ♦ The Raptors won 59 games in 2018, the most wins in franchise history. Before that, coach Dwane Casey had a tremendous run of 48-49-56-51 wins. That year, he was named coach of the year. The league named him that. On his own team, from his own manager, there were questions. By the time the playoffs ended that season, Casey and Ujiri were no longer speaking to each other. The animosity of year-after-year playoff failures — most of it coming against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers — had hardened both men. Casey was named coach of the year and Ujiri did what has almost never been done in basketball history. He fired the coach of the year. He thought Casey had taken the team as far as he could. Ujiri had a coach in mind to replace Casey, but Mike Budenholzer wound up in Milwaukee instead of Toronto. In what seemed like a guess at the time — who knew, really? — Ujiri hired assistant coach Nick Nurse to replace the coach of the year Casey. Nurse had been on almost no one's radar around the NBA. He'd kicked around basketball circles forever as an assistant or minor league head coach. This was his first chance at head coaching in the NBA. He distinguished himself early on as the Raptors won the title in 2019. Nurse lasted five seasons in Toronto with a .582 winning percentage and coaching in 41 playoff games. He was let go at the end of the 2023 season, when he and Ujiri seemed philosophically heading in different directions. ♦ ♦ ♦ I can still smell the locker room from the celebration of 2019 in Oakland. That stays with you after all these years. There was champagne spraying. There was plastic covering everywhere you looked. There were safety goggles if you wanted to protect your eyes. And everywhere, there was champagne spraying. It's the kind of smell you never forget and the soaking wet Raptors were engaging in hugs and high-fives and family photos for anyone who was there. Masai Ujiri couldn't have been prouder that night, even if he later talked about being assaulted. We sat with him in what was probably the quietest corner of all the bedlam after the Raptors championship victory over the Golden State Warriors. He cried a little bit, he smiled a lot, he seemed to enjoy being surrounded by the media people who had either become friends or advocates or critics or all of that over the years. That's what happens when you cover a team honestly. There are good days and there are bad days and there are good relationships and bad relationships and often with the same people. Masai had promised a championship when he first came to Toronto. Sometimes it sounds like predictable rhetoric when you hear that kind of talk. From him, though, coming to Toronto, coming to a place known for NBA failure, coming to a place where being irrelevant was just part of the show, he sounded more believable than the usual salesman stuff you hear. And I reminded him of that in the winning locker room. 'You told us this was coming and we didn't believe you,' I remember saying to Masai. He told us to 'f— Brooklyn. He sold us on We The North. We taught us about belief and hope, trust and care. And every time I saw him and spoke to him, spent any time with him, it didn't matter the circumstances, that proved to be a better day. The championship in 2019 was his first. It wouldn't be his last, he said. One day, the next one may come. Just not here. Not anymore. Word began to spread Friday morning that Ujiri was out as Raptors president, weeks after first learning about it. Twenty-six years after the Blue Jays won their second World Series, the Raptors had a title to call their own. Three titles for Toronto in North America's big four sports. In 129 seasons of combined NHL hockey, NBA basketball and Major League Baseball since the Maple Leafs last won the Stanley Cup and Toronto arrived on the scene, the Raptors had their own championship. A championship written and directed by Masai Ujiri. A championship celebrated all across Canada, never to be forgotten again. ssimmons@ X: @simmonssteve ssimmons@
Fox News
17 hours ago
- Business
- Fox News
Raptors part ways with team president Masai Ujiri after agreement to work through NBA Draft, ownership says
The Toronto Raptors will soon be under new leadership. Masai Ujiri was fired as the franchise's vice chairman and president, the team announced the day after the NBA Draft concluded. Ujiri spent 13 seasons with the NBA franchise. "During his 13 seasons with the Raptors, Masai has helped transform the organization on the court and has been an inspirational leader off it," Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment CEO Keith Pelley said in a statement. "He brought an NBA championship to Toronto and urged us to believe in this city and ourselves. We are grateful for all he has done and wish him and his family the very best." While Ujiri's lengthy stint in the front office came to an abrupt end, other key members of the front office were retained, including general manager Bobby Webster. The team announced Webster had been awarded a contract extension. Pelley expressed confidence in Webster's ability to lead the Raptors' basketball operations. "We are confident that the Raptors organization, under the guidance of Bobby and his team, is in a great place," the statement continued. "They have a plan in place for next season and beyond as the team continues its rebuild, and we have confidence in their ability to execute and, ultimately, to excel." On Friday, Pelley addressed the timing of the move to part ways with Ujiri, telling reporters that, "over a month ago," Ujiri asked to work through the draft. "Why the timing now? So, Masai and I spoke to each other over a month ago, and he asked that if a change were to happen, that it was post-draft," Pelley told reporters Friday. "And that made the most sense, not to disrupt the draft process. "We were holding the ninth pick, a top 10 pick, and, of course, Masai's — not only his area of passion but his area of expertise — he's prolific when it comes to the draft. And we were grateful to have him as the person, with Bobby [Webster], leading our draft." As the Raptors launch a search for a new team president, the remaining members of the front office will prepare for the NBA's free agency period, which starts Monday. Toronto won just 30 games last season, and it's been three years since the team has advanced to the playoffs. Ujiri landed his first NBA general manager job in 2011 when the Denver Nuggets selected him for the role. He was named the Raptors' general manager in 2013. He received league Executive of the Year honors that season. He also oversaw the Raptors' 2019 NBA championship. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Washington Post
a day ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Masai Ujiri fired as Raptors president and vice chairman after 13 years with franchise
TORONTO — Toronto Raptors president and vice chairman Masai Ujiri was fired Friday after 13 years with the franchise. Ujiri joined the Raptors in 2013 as executive vice president and general manager. He was promoted to president in 2016 and surrendered his responsibilities as GM in 2017, when Bobby Webster took over.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Raptors part ways with team president Masai Ujiri a day after 2025 NBA Draft
The man who brought a championship to the Toronto Raptors is leaving the franchise. The Raptors and team president Masai Ujiri are parting ways, the team confirmed Friday. The move comes at an unusual time. Ujiri just took part in the 2025 NBA Draft with the Raptors, and was entering the final year of his contract. Ujiri could have hypothetically finished out his contract with the team and left in the offseason. It's unclear why both sides felt it was necessary to move on at this time. Advertisement In their statement announcing the move, the Raptors said they would perform a search for a new team president. The team added that members of the current front-office staff will remain in place, including general manager Bobby Webster, who received an extension. Ujiri's departure comes a day after the second night of the 2025 NBA Draft. The Raptors received excellent grades from Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor for both their first and second-round picks. Collin Murray-Boyles, who the team took with the No. 9 overall pick, received an A- from O'Conner. The team's second-round choice, Alijah Martin, did even better, netting an A+ from O'Connor. Ujiri initially joined the Raptors in 2013 as the team's executive vice president and general manager. The franchise experienced success early in his tenure, finishing first or second in the division seven straight seasons. In 2016, Ujiri was promoted to team president. He served as the team's general manager that season before turning that role over to Webster in 2017. Advertisement The biggest swing of Ujiri's tenure with the team came prior to the 2018-19 season, when he traded for Kawhi Leonard. It was a risky move, given Leonard's injury history, the fact that he had only one year left on his contract and it cost them DeMar DeRozan — for nine years the heart and soul of the team. But Ujiri pulled the trigger for a difference maker who could bring a title to Toronto. And it worked, with the Raptors defeating the Golden State Warriors in the finals. It was the Raptors' first NBA title since the team was established ahead of the 1995-96 season. Leonard would ultimately leave following that one season, and the Raptors have been in decline since. After another first-place finish in the division during the 2019-20 NBA season, the Raptors have finished no higher than third in the division over the past five seasons. After finishing .500 during the 2022-23 season, the Raptors have combined to go 55-109 over the past two seasons.
National Post
a day ago
- Sport
- National Post
Masai Ujiri out as Toronto Raptors president in stunning move by new ownership
The man who did the seemingly impossible — lead the Toronto Raptors to an NBA title, is out. Article content Masai Ujiri, the architect of the 2019 NBA champions, mutually agreed with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment to part ways ahead of the final year of his most recent contract extension, ESPN first reported Friday and a source confirmed to Postmedia. Article content In addition to the title, Ujiri and his staff helped lead the Raptors to unprecedented heights prior to the pandemic. Only three franchises won more regular-season games than the Raptors from 2012-13 to 2019-20 and a franchise that had only one playoff series victory before Ujiri took over from Bryan Colangelo in May of 2013 won nine playoff series over the years. Article content Things have not been as rosy since the NBA returned from its shutdown. Toronto sits 23rd of 30 teams in wins since with only one playoff appearance. Article content Ujiri was part of the team's draft process this week and even stopped by to greet reporters on Wednesday night, though general manager Bobby Webster did the official media duties that night and assistant GM Dan Tolzman the next. Article content Article content
