Ex-Raptors exec Masai Ujiri remains focused on humanitarian work as Giants of Africa Festival nears
The humanitarian work, Ujiri pledged, will continue regardless of his employment status. The British-born NBA executive, raised in his father's native Nigeria, founded Giants of Africa in 2003 — back when he was just starting off as a scout and long before becoming the first African team president of a professional North American sports franchise.
'It's an obligation for me,' Ujiri said. 'It's a passion.'
The foundation's ambitions have risen with his own success. Giants of Africa has reached thousands of campers across 18 countries. It has helped build more than three dozen courts on the continent. High-profile supporters include Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's The Archewell Foundation. 2023's inaugural Giants of Africa Festival united more than 250 boys and girls around a week of basketball clinics, life skills lessons and community building that culminated in a concert headlined by South African superstar Tyla. The goal? A 'borderless Africa' as Ujiri likes to say.
The festival returns to Kigali, Rwanda, on July 26 with a lineup featuring Nigerian pop singer Ayra Starr and WNBA great Candace Parker. Two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard — brought to Toronto by Ujiri for the team's championship-winning 2018-2019 season — will mentor campers and train underserved youth.
Ujiri discussed the upcoming event, and his future, with The Associated Press. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Q: Why'd you expand Giants of Africa Festival 2025 to 320 young participants from 20 African nations?
A: When we had the last festival, we really focused on — whether it was the basketball, the life skills, the coaching, the mentorship — we focused on culture. We focused on the whole ecosystem of how we feel kids need this opportunity to grow. It really inspired us to think about how we bring this to more countries.
We're doing this incredible, incredible fashion show showing the print, the threads of Africa, and who we really are. It used to be weird where you'd see somebody wearing cloth from Africa. Now it's part of the fashion. It's part of us. It's just like Afrobeats — it's part of life everywhere. Everybody wants to wear a boubou. You see a lot of fashion designers from all over the world using our prints. We want to showcase that and give these youth the opportunity to see that this is how they can also expand their minds.
Q: How does it feel to see basketball investments lead to the sport growing across the continent?
A: It's been unbelievable. With these camps, it started off as basketball development, but you've seen that really become something that has really grown even bigger. I saw Pascal (Siakam), I saw (Joel) Embiid, I saw all these guys as youth in camps. Seeing them as 15-, 16-year-old kids in camp, you can't even project. And that tells you how much talent we have on the continent. I always say Africa's biggest jewel is the talent of the youth. One out of every four people in the world are going to be Africans by the year 2050 and the median age is 20. We should be investing on the continent.
Q: How does Giants of Africa use sports to get the youth to consider different careers?
A: I'm the prime example of that. I didn't play in the NBA. I didn't even play high-level college or high-level Europe. The entry point for me was a scout in the NBA. From then on lots of people helped me to create this path that I'm on still. I go back to Basketball Without Borders, when the NBA gave me the opportunity to be a director. That has led to me becoming an executive in the NBA. That's the example I want to give.
That's why we have so many people coming to this festival to really show these kids — whether it's me or a journalist or a sports doctor or sports lawyer — there's so many careers. And the start is sports and doing it passionately and doing it well.
Q: How did women's empowerment become a focus for the foundation's work?
A: When I first started, I was doing boys camps. Not every kid is going to make it to the NBA. So we started focusing on life skills. That was teaching respect, honesty, being on time. One of the big focuses was respect for women.
So, I'm challenging these boys but I'm not challenging myself. I can't say 'women's empowerment' and 'respect women' and just do these camps for boys. So, we introduced the girls. And it's not 50 boys and 10 girls just for token. It's equality. They all have a basketball and they have the same court time. We can't just say it. We actually have to do it.
Q: What does your recent Toronto Raptors departure mean for your humanitarian work?
A: Job, no job, wherever I am, whatever kind of job I'm doing, Giants of Africa is key. The focus will always be that just because I owe it to the youth of the continent. I owe it to the continent. My goal is not how big does Giants of Africa get. I look at it as: how big are these youth going to become? They'll go on to do other things. They could go on to become a president or become a governor or become president of a team. The hope is that this experience here will even make them reimagine many of the things that they want to do. So, Giants of Africa will never go anywhere.
___
Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP's philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.
James Pollard, The Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
On this day: Bremer, Sundov traded, Wedman, Duerod, Hertzberg born
On this day in Boston Celtics history, former point guard J.R. Bremer was traded along with big man Bruno Sundov and draft assets to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for small forward Jumaine Jones. The Cleveland Heights (Ohio) native had signed with the Celtics as a 6-foot-2, 185 lb. free agent in the summer of 2002 after going undrafted out of St. Bonaventure University in the NBA draft of that year. Despite his lack of draft interest that summer, Bremer managed to make All-Rookie Second Team for his inaugural season in the Association, elevating his stock enough to make himself a trade asset for Boston. Bremer averaged 8.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game in his time with the Celtics. It is the birthday of former Boston small forward Scott Wedman (born in 1952), who came to the team in a trade with the Cavaliers for center Darren Tillis and draft assets in 1983. The Harper, Kansas native would play five seasons for the Celtics, with whom he won two championships in 1984 and 1986. In 1987, Wedman was dealt with Sam Vincent to the Seattle SuperSonics for draft assets and retired immediately afterward. He averaged 6.2 points, 2.1 rebounds, and an assist per game in his time with the team. Ex-Celtic small forward Terry Duerod shares his birthday, born in Royal Oak, Michigan in 1956. Duerod joined the Celtics in free agency in December 1980 and would play 53 games over two seasons before being waived by the team. The Detroit Mercy alum logged 2.8 points per game while wearing green and white. Former Celtics guard Sidney 'Sonny' Hertzberg shares the birthday with them as well, born in 1922 in Brooklyn, New York. Spanning Boston's days in the Basketball Association of America (BAA -- a predecessor league of the NBA) into their first season in what became the NBA, Hertzberg played two seasons with Boston. Traded to the team from the Washington Capitals for center Chick Halbert, Hertzberg put up 9.4 points and 1.8 assists per game as a Celtic. This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: Bremer, Sundov traded, Wedman, Duerod, Hertzberg born
New York Times
16 minutes ago
- New York Times
The Lakers are about to get the best version of Luka Dončić. But first he's committed to himself
If you were on the internet Monday, you saw the pictures, the proof of Luka Dončić's offseason dedication plainly obvious. Sixteen hours a day, six days of week, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar didn't eat, saving all his meals for an eight-hour window. Dončić put the basketball away, spending one month after the worst basketball season of his NBA life ended, and gave himself completely over to his training team, who got to work on strength and conditioning. He was intentional with the meals he consumed and the movement on the court and in the weight room that he took. Advertisement And, here in the final week of July, the initial results are visible in an incredibly public way. Dončić — once the punchline to fat jokes, the guy who cracked beers and broke opponents' ankles, the player who Dallas publicly bet against and privately disparaged — is on the cover of Men's Health Magazine. The lines separating the muscles on his tanned arms are sharp. The cushion around his bearded jaw line has evaporated. His physique has been completely redone thanks in no small part to the work of Anže Maček and Javier Barrio, the drivers of his physical wellness team. Our digital cover star, Luka Doncic, ready to take his game (and the Lakers) to new levels of dominance. And this summer shred has been years in the — Men's Health Mag (@MensHealthMag) July 28, 2025 But if you just see a shrinking Dončić, you're missing the bigger picture. This, the body, the publicity, the determined look in his eyes, the sweat reflecting the spotlights, it's all part of a bigger plan. That plan, according to some around Dončić, was going to be fulfilled no matter what happened in his pro career. To everyone else, it's so clearly a response to the humiliation and pain caused by the Dallas Mavericks' decision to cast him away from the city where he'd planned on spending the entirety of his career. Maybe, when you see the magazine pictures, you see skinny Luka. Maybe you see someone ready to unleash Kill Bill rage on the NBA with one of the game's most noticeable revenge bodies. But, maybe, you should step back and see how everything that's happened over the past few years has led Dončić to this place, a perfect storm allowing the Lakers to get him at a time when he's never been more committed. There's little suspense around the team and the league surrounding Dončić's intentions this weekend, when he can sign some version of an extension with the Lakers. The timing of all of this, though, is a signal to the NBA that this version of Dončić is ready to reclaim his spot as one of the best in the world — if not singularly. Advertisement The magazine spread (and three accompanying stories) dropped Monday as Dončić began a bit of a summer tour of the United States, beginning with multiple appearances in New York City before a one-day stop in Chicago and ending, most importantly, in Los Angeles. Not coincidentally, the stop in L.A. coincides perfectly with Aug. 2 — the date Dončić can sign a contract extension with the Lakers to formalize a partnership that the organization has eagerly been planning for since it acquired him for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick on Feb. 1. A link up with @TheJudge44 for Luka's first time at Yankee Stadium 🤝@luka7doncic | @Lakers | @Yankees — NBA (@NBA) July 29, 2025 When Dončić arrived in Los Angeles, he hadn't played in more than a month. He was noticeably out of shape, carrying a combination of extra weight and extra stress from a midseason trade that uprooted him and his young family from the one American city they'd ever lived. Some sources in Dončić's inner circle believed he was on the path toward this kind of physical transformation whether or not Dallas general manager Nico Harrison had bet against him. Dončić and his management team began working with Maček and Barrio in 2023. One year later, he helped carry the Mavericks to the NBA Finals and immediately followed that by playing for his national team in Slovenia's failed bid to make the Paris Olympics. The belief among Dončić's team was, to some degree, that as he matured as an NBA professional, he'd adopt some better habits and completely buy into a stricter strength and conditioning program instead of the more competition-driven approach he'd been comfortable with. But improvement isn't always linear, and Dončić suffered a number of physical setbacks in 2024 that certainly made it easier for the Mavericks to explore options other than handing him a blank check mega-extension. Whether Dončić would've been the same quality of fitness model had he not been traded is sort of irrelevant. Same if you think the driving reason for this change is to stick it to the Mavericks for trading him (and justifying it by highlighting his weaknesses) or if they came at a moment where he had the most financial motivation And depending on how he structures this extension, it could be the precursor to the richest deal in NBA history in 2028 (when he could hit free agency after 10 years of league service). Advertisement Ultimately, all that matters is that this is the version Dončić is now — a perfect storm for the Lakers where they're getting a player at a time when he has the most reasons to commit himself to his craft, to his new team and to the promise that he's the league's most talented player. His approach this summer, from shedding weight to adding strength to recruiting new teammates, shows who Dončić is as a player and as a pillar of the Lakers now as much as any cover shoot could. But the pictures that dropped Monday weren't subtle. Whether it's revenge, maturity or timing, it's not difficult to see that the Lakers are about to get the best version of Dončić. And that, they think, will be worth every penny. (Photo of Dončić and Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge: New York Yankees / Getty Images)
New York Times
16 minutes ago
- New York Times
‘This new league would create confusion': EuroLeague CEO on NBA, expansion, NCAA and more
It is an interesting moment in European basketball. The EuroLeague has long been considered the second-best basketball league in the world, after the NBA. But the NBA has recently shown interest in forming a new league on the continent and may launch within the next few years as it continues to examine how and when it should do so. Advertisement That has left questions about what it would mean for the EuroLeague and its future, or if the two leagues can work together. The EuroLeague has also taken steps forward to grow. It has expanded to 20 teams, and had, for a time, considered taking an outside investment from a private equity firm. As for its relationship with the NBA, executives from the two leagues and FIBA sat down for a meeting in Geneva in May and have signaled an openness to work together. In The Athletic's continuing series of Executive Q&A sessions, EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejūnas spoke to The Athletic this week to discuss the league's future, its relationship with the NBA, his thoughts on the wave of European players leaving for NCAA schools and more. Note: This interview was edited for length and clarity. It seems like you and the NBA have been building your relationship over the last few months. I know things had not been well for a period of time there, but you had that meeting in Geneva. Where do things stand between the NBA and EuroLeague? Listen, it was a positive meeting. It was the first time out of many years that everybody was at the same table. And we need to thank FIBA for being in the middle and trying to put everybody on the same page. What we heard is the same as what is publicly known, that they're in the exploration mode, and they're trying to see how and what. We said to them, like we said publicly, we don't believe that the new league is something that would help the market. So we left with an open mind, saying that we're ready to collaborate. And the question is, how and when. We keep growing, and we keep doing our homework and maximizing the game of basketball in Europe. So I believe that only helps all the sides. And as a next step, I believe we'll have another meeting, I would say around September or during September to sit down again and hopefully get into a deeper discussion and analyzation of how we can work together. Advertisement Because I repeat it and I said it before: we don't need a new league. We are doing really good. The league is growing. We're happy to go and do it together with NBA and continuously use their power to grow the basketball in Europe. So we're open to that. What would collaboration with the NBA look like? They have a really strong image. They can help with TV deals. They can help with sponsorship. We can grow the pie bigger if we go and work together. This is always the same message. We need to care about the basketball, the basketball fan, and if we can monetize the game better — and we believe that with the NBA, we can do it better — that's the strength that we could get them to bring in, and then it comes from that. But we have a huge fan base. We have 25 years of history. This is what we said to them. Why not sit down and see how we go and make decisions together, rather than just creating a new league and for them to start over? This is basically our message. And like I said, we are open to making decisions together and pitching together and working together to, firstly, grow the pie, and then, you know, the division part is easy. First you need to kill the animal to see how much meat is on the table to divide. Would you be open to or have you discussed an NBA investment into EuroLeague? It has to come from them. We cannot go and say, you know, do it yourself. So I really believe that's why we stopped our process or put it on hold, to see and keep this option open. Most people see that if the NBA expands to Europe and starts its league, that will be a bit of a threat to the Euroleague. Do you see it that way? And do you feel like that's changed now that you guys are on better terms? I don't see it as a threat to us, to the league. We can see from the TV deals, we can see from the sponsorship, we can see from the interest of the clubs to play EuroLeague that it's not a threat and it's more a confusion. And if you look at the bigger picture, I keep repeating this, we need to care about the game — the game of basketball and the fan of basketball. Advertisement This new league would create confusion. It would create division and on simple terms, you go to the sponsor, and you say, 'I'm now this new, you know, NBA League.' And then we go, 'Well, we are EuroLeague.' And then, oh, there's this Champions League; oh, there's this Euro Cup. For the hardcore fans, everybody knows EuroLeague, and everybody knows Europe. And we are not afraid to lose these fans, because we believe we have a better product right away on the court. But when we want to grow all together to go and sell this product, you would turn on the TV and you have no idea if it's a top-tier competition, second-tier, or third-tier. That's what I mean, we can lose the potential to grow the product and get the fans to follow us because we really have the best basketball in the world on the court. Do you have any concerns about any of your A license clubs going to play in the other league? I'm really optimistic. There's a lot of confusion. And like you said, NBA is still exploring. They're talking about another two, three years. Quoting you, obviously. We are growing. Why would you leave the league which is growing? So we are doing what depends on us. We remain optimistic. We took all the right decisions. The numbers are showing this, and the future will decide. I cannot see the future, but let's see. We are doing everything that's in our hands to grow the product and grow the league. And I'm sure the clubs are acknowledging that, and they will stay with us. For next season, the EuroLeague has expanded to 20 teams. I think you're still trying to figure out the destinations for a few final fours. What would you say is the state of the league right now? Growing. I think expansion and everything — the (2025) Final Four in Abu Dhabi was a great new step. Now going to 20 teams, but keeping the same calendar, it's a huge step. So really, we are 25 years young, and it's only getting started. That's what we keep saying, because, by numbers, in the arena, outside the arena, sponsorship numbers, you know, everything; so growing is the right term. What was the reason behind expanding from 18 to 20 teams for this upcoming season? We see a lot of teams that are ready, we see a lot of potential, and we see that the competition level will be the same or even grow. I think that's the main reason, when you see that the teams are mature enough to play and to come and join you, this is an inevitable step. That's why we took two steps. One is to expand, and the other one is to give (multi)-year wild cards for the clubs so that they know that there's some stability in it. One of the teams that you gave a multi-year wild card to was Dubai Basketball. What is the benefit for your league of having Dubai Basketball in there, and how do you plan to expand the relationship with the Gulf states going forward? The first step was the final four. And because it was a success, because Dubai was a success in the Adriatic League, we think it's the right step to open up that market. You know how sports is a priority there. There's a lot of financial backing, whether it's golf, whether it's tennis, whether it's football, you know and we think the basketball deserves to be there as well. Not only with the friendly games or the Final Four, but they proved that they can deliver. They can travel. And you're right, it's not Europe, but it's also not that far. It's a gradual growth, but let's see what the next steps are. I know that you have been searching for a while for private equity investment. Where does that stand? It's on standby, but it's still in the books, and one of the reasons it's on the standby is obviously the chance to go and talk to the NBA and have them come into the mix. You've said that your revenue has grown by about four and a half times over the last 10 years. I know you just renewed media rights deals in a number of the countries in Europe where you have teams. Financially, how big do you think the market can be for the Euroleague? We need to become a tier one sport in Europe. We are not. We need to compete with Formula One. We need to compete with tennis. I can take the UK, for example. Everybody knows it's a football sport, and then you have rugby, and then you have everything else. But the number of people playing basketball is amazingly big because it's a sport that is catching up. I don't think there's a cap. You've had a good amount of European players come to the NCAA this past year, with them being able to be paid now. Is that a problem for those teams that develop the talent? How do you deal with that? I hope it's a short-term problem. The goal of signing young players is to have them play in EuroLeague and to play for the main team. Before, it was them staying inside (the club) and you being able to grow them. Right now, they take this path to go to the NCAA but with a goal. Everybody goes there believing that they will play in the NBA, but we all understand that it will be a small percentage who make that. So I think eventually they will have to come back to Europe. And that's why I say it's a short-term problem. Advertisement It's been, what, two years — now the third year —so maybe one or two more years, and the graduates will have to find a place to play. And I think the loophole will close itself. It's also bad for the NBA. It's also bad for the player this young to get millions, to lose the passion to play basketball. I think one is the money that they get. And the second thing that I always point out is that now they can go from one university to another when they open the portal, and you're no longer forced to finish the university and get the degree, which was always what was good? Because now when you keep going around, I think it's quite difficult to get there. So I hope it's a short-term problem, and we will go back, and European teams will continue to grow players like they do. Because it seems like it's hard for the European teams to compete with the colleges because they pay more from what it seems like. No, now it's insane. It's impossible to compete. Now it's insane. It just doesn't make any sense.
