Josh Lewenberg: VanVleet said he missed the initial call from Masai at 12:01am on July 1 because he had to run to Walgreens to pick something up for his young daughter, but locked in the deal shortly after. “From my end it was a super easy decision”
Masai Ujiri Rumors
Josh Lewenberg: VanVleet: “I didn’t want to leave… This place gave me a chance and now it’s my job to re-pay that.”
Josh Lewenberg: Casey on @OverDrive1050: “Anybody that’s been fired, it hurts. You kind of feel like everything’s your fault when your fired. So that was hurtful, disappointing. But that’s Masai’s prerogative to make that decision… I know I can walk out of the city with my head held high.”
Ryan McNeill: Raptors President Masai Ujiri announced a plan to build basketball courts across Africa this summer in an effort to grow the next generation of African leaders on behalf of his not-for-profit organization, Giants of Africa. #wethenorth #giantsofafrica #dreambig #raptors #NBA
Raptors President Masai Ujiri was emotional in explaining how a woman changed the course of his career in basketball management. He expressed how he might not be where he is today without the help of Kim Bohuny, the NBA’s Senior Vice President of International Basketball Operations. “Kim is the reason I’m here, OK?” Ujiri said while choking up. “So, 15 years ago, I got a phone call from Kim Bohuny, and she asked me to come to be director of Basketball Without Borders. My life changed. Today, I’m the President of the Toronto Raptors. I was an unpaid scout when I got that call from Kim Bohuny, so here are some women that are changing lives, and changed this life right here.”
Ujiri has entrusted women with roles in Toronto’s front office. When he became general manager in Toronto, his first call was to Teresa Resch, who had worked with him on the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders camps while she was at the league office. She was promoted to Vice President of Basketball Operations and Player Development in 2015. “That right there is the Toronto Raptors, right there,” Ujiri said, pointing to Resch as the audience clapped for her. “We talked about lifting women, we talked about believing in women, and when we went out and made a lot of hires, we did not hire them because they were women. We hired them because they were the best. They were the best candidates for the job, and that’s what they serve as, and they stand up tall, and they lead the Toronto Raptors. And we listen to them. Teresa is the chief of staff. Everything she says goes.”
