Nigerian 'Masai Ujiri' Becomes The Toronto Raptors' New GM

Masai Ujiri, a native of Zaria, Nigeria, who is responsible for trading away Carmelo Anthony for Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, and Timofey Mozgov, has now become the new general manager for the Toronto Raptors.

Ujiri agreed to a five-year deal worth $15 million, an offer that the Denver Nuggets were not willing to match. Ujiri had no previous managerial experience prior to the Nuggets, however, after the Nuggets successful trade, the rookie GM won 2012-2013 NBA Executive of the Year. 

Ujiri was named NBA Executive of the Year after helping assemble a Nuggets squad that won 57 games last season and finished third in the Western Conference. Denver lost to Golden State in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

“We feel very lucky to have Masai in our organization,” said Tim Leiweke, president of the Raptors ownership group. “He is a proven judge of talent and we look for him to be a big part of creating a winning atmosphere, leading us to the playoffs and, ultimately, delivering NBA championships for Toronto.”

He replaces team president Bryan Colangelo, his former boss who was stripped of his general manager duties last month after the Raptors went 34-48 this past season. Ujiri, however, has some work to do — the Raptors have suffered five losing seasons in a row and last reached the playoffs in 2008.

See fans reaction to Raptors naming Masai Ujiri General Manager.