Drake Sends Strong Message After Raptors' Major Decision
Drake Sends Strong Message After Raptors' Major Decision originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Toronto Raptors' offseason was jolted by a surprise announcement just one day after the NBA Draft: long-time president Masai Ujiri is exiting the team. The decision comes on the heels of a disappointing 2024-25 campaign in which the team finished 30-52, missed the playoffs for the third straight year, and missed the play-in tournament.
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Ujiri had led the organization for 13 seasons, becoming the most successful executive in franchise history. Under his leadership, the Raptors posted a regular-season record of 545-419, with eight playoff appearances and the team's only NBA title in 2019. His tenure was marked by a sustained run of winning seasons and significant cultural and on-court achievements.
Toronto Raptors Former Vice-Chairman and Team President Masai Ujiri.© John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Off the court, Ujiri forged strong ties within the city's sports and entertainment circles—most notably through his friendship with rapper Drake. Uriji's partnership with Drake, who has been publicly supportive of his hometown team and has appeared courtside during Raptors games, helped elevate Toronto from a regional team into a global brand.
Following the announcement of Ujiri's departure, Drake posted a heartfelt message on his Instagram story: 'My mentor and my friend. The city will miss you. Thank you for an unforgettable 13 years.'
Drake's ties to the Raptors run deep. Named the team's global ambassador in 2013, he has been a visible part of the 'We The North' campaign, attended key charity events alongside Ujiri, and routinely made courtside appearances through the championship era and beyond.
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With Ujiri now gone, the Raptors must fill a leadership void at a pivotal moment. General manager Bobby Webster has been retained, with MLSE perhaps set to launch a search for a new team president soon.
Related: Masai Ujiri's Next Possible Career Decision After Raptors Exit
Related: Raptors Send 3-Word Message After Masai Ujiri News
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
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New York Times
38 minutes ago
- New York Times
Clippers begin free agency by adding Brook Lopez. Could Chris Paul be next?
The LA Clippers headed into free agency having handled the expected items. James Harden was who president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank declared as the team's 'top priority' following the draft. He is back, with a player option for 2026. Frank said it was 'a dark day' when backup power forward Nicolas Batum was included in the trade that brought Harden to LA from the Philadelphia 76ers in the fall of 2023, signaling an intention for Batum to be back. Like Harden, Batum declined his player option and signed a new deal with the Clippers that gave him a raise, while the Clippers have a team option on Batum in 2026. Advertisement I identified two needs for the Clippers, ones that mirrored their needs for the draft but were more acute because the Clippers needed short-term playable options: ball handling and frontcourt help. One of my named targets was Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez. My inclusion of Lopez, who turned 37 years old in April, had as much to do with the connections as it did with basketball. Lopez was born in Los Angeles County in 1988, along with twin brother and 16-year NBA veteran Robin Lopez. In 2008, the New Jersey Nets drafted Lopez out of Stanford with the 10th overall pick. Lopez's first NBA head coach? None other than Lawrence Frank, who also was on the Brooklyn Nets coaching staff to begin the 2013-14 season. In Lopez's final season with the Nets in 2016-17, one of Brooklyn's assistants was Shaun Fein, who is now the shooting guru on LA head coach Tyronn Lue's staff; that also happened to be the season that Lopez made 134 3s after only making 3 3s in his first eight NBA seasons combined. When Lopez was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017, one of the assistants was current Clippers assistant coach Brian Shaw. The Lakers also had a young center on their roster in 2017-18 named Ivica Zubac. And, if nothing else, Lopez is a notable Disney fan. And Intuit Dome happens to be 30 miles away from Disneyland. Whatever it took for Lopez to leave a place where he was a co-starter next to two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and a NBA champion in 2021, it worked in the Clippers' favor. Lopez agreed to sign a two-year, $18 million deal to join the Clippers Monday. Lopez will backup Zubac, a major departure for Lopez after starting all but 50 of his 1,105 career games. Time to update the Clip graphic — Brook Lopez gives the LA Clippers a professional center behind Ivica Zubac @TheAthletic — Law Murray 🚨 (@LawMurrayTheNU) July 1, 2025 Frank hinted that the Clippers would target a veteran center. After the first round of the draft last week saw the Clippers select Penn State center Yanic Konan Niederhauser with the 30th overall pick, Frank said, 'We'll probably have at least three centers. 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Lopez still had enough juice to catch 15 alley-oops last season, and as Zubac found out in February, Lopez can still put back a missed shot from the top rope: Lopez has never been a strong passer, having never averaged more than 2.3 assists per game in his 17-year career, and he struggled mightily in the postseason against the Indiana Pacers. While Lopez has a massive body at 7-foot-1, 282 pounds, he is a boxout player more than a player who will secure a high share of rebounds. And defensively, Lopez is limited to drop coverage, especially at this stage of his career. Lopez and Zubac shared the floor for 13 games together seven years ago with the Lakers for seven minutes, and that is not a reasonable option in 2025. But the Clippers having Lopez as a likely 20-minute backup is a major improvement over what the team has been used to behind Zubac over the last six years. 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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
NBA free agency has been good for the middle class, and more Day 1 thoughts
Shew. NBA free agency has been underway for less than 24 hours, and already a cascade of deals has cleaned out the market. Of my top 25 free agents, only eight remain on the market, and one of them (Malik Beasley) is in that situation for non-basketball reasons. I've already opined on several of the Day 1 moves on our running blog, but the thing about focusing on single transactions is that sometimes you miss the big picture. Advertisement So taking a step back from the fray, exhaling, and looking out over the landscape from a busy day of transactions, here are three big thoughts that hit me: The big fear among a certain class of players was that the 2025 free-agent market would be a repeat of 2024's. 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USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
NBA free agency winners and losers: Lakers in trouble? LeBron James trade rumors swirl
Perhaps the first day of NBA free agency didn't have the massive, franchise-altering moves fans have become used to, but there were clear cases of teams capitalizing on the open market. Just the same, there were also cases of teams that took on uninspiring and alarmingly quiet approaches to the sudden availability of players. The common theme, as it has been since the 2023 Collective Bargaining Agreement was signed, appears to be a fear of punitive first- and second-apron sanctions. The window to negotiate contracts opened at 6 p.m. ET Monday, June 30, and a flurry of deals came in, though deals cannot officially be signed until July 6. Here are the early winners and losers from Day 1 of NBA free agency. WINNERS Houston Rockets This is a clear signal that Houston is going all-in on its perceived championship window. Trading for Kevin Durant is one thing, but staying aggressive and adding forward Dorian Finney-Smith and center Clint Capela shores up a roster that suddenly has size, length and speed at the wing — a recipe for success in the modern NBA. Already an excellent defensive team, Houston should be a nightmare when it needs a stop and gets its specialty lineup on the floor. Denver Nuggets When the Nuggets won the NBA Finals two years ago, their depth was a key asset. Flipping Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 unprotected first rounder for the far cheaper Cameron Johnson allowed Denver to reunite with defensive-minded guard Bruce Brown. Atlanta Hawks A very good week for new general manager Onsi Saleh continued. After landing Kristaps Porziņģis at a discount and excelling in the draft, Saleh continued to remake the Hawks into a contender in the wide-open East. Atlanta reportedly added shooting in Luke Kennard and wing defense in Nickeil Alexander-Walker. When paired with steal machine Dyson Daniels, that's a defensive backcourt that should cause problems for the rest of the conference. Players who are cashing in Players like center Luke Kornet (four years, $41 million to the Spurs), Nickeil Alexander-Walker (four years, $62 million in a sign-and-trade to the Hawks), guard Ty Jerome (three years, $28 million to the Grizzlies) and forward-center Santi Aldama (three years, $52.5 million) should all be celebrated for cashing in on their improved play. You might as well throw Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. for reportedly landing a five-year max extension worth $248 million in there, too. LOSERS The middle tier of the Western Conference It's bad enough that the West has to contend with a young powerhouse in the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder. But now, with the Rockets going all-in and the Nuggets improving, the top teams in the conference may be building a significant gap over the middle tier of the West. The Lakers finished third and are signaling an emphasis on the future. The Clippers finished fifth and reportedly added Brook Lopez (two years, $18 million), but is that enough? The Timberwolves reportedly lost defensive wing Nickeil Alexander-Walker in a sign-and-trade. The middle class in a salary-cap starved league In the punitive first- and second-apron era, NBA free agency may not have quite the same sizzle as it once did. Teams like the Celtics have had to break up rosters to shed salary to avoid expensive sanctions triggered by surpassing certain payroll markers. That has led to a cross section of veterans like guards Jordan Clarkson (Jazz) and Cole Anthony (Grizzlies) reportedly being bought out. It has also led veterans like guards Tyus Jones and Gary Trent Jr. to encounter a depressed market fearful of creeping into the luxury tax. Because the Nets were the only team that entered free agency with significant cap space, it appears that other teams may have used that as leverage to be moderate in the contracts offered. Los Angeles Lakers The statement LeBron James' agent, Rich Paul, released when James opted in to his $52.6 million player option seemed to unsettle Lakers fans. It hinted that the Lakers are building for a post-James era, perhaps signaling some rebuilding to come. But losing 3-and-D wing Dorian Finney-Smith — a player Los Angeles acquired in a late-December trade — for nothing is questionable roster management. L.A. did reportedly add forward Jake LaRavia, but it's wholly uninspiring. Milwaukee Bucks Everyone will be watching Giannis Antetokounmpo after ESPN reported during the NBA draft that he would be closely monitoring Milwaukee's moves. Antetokounmpo reportedly wants to win, and it's unclear if retaining Gary Trent Jr., Kevin Porter Jr. and Taurean Prince but losing Brook Lopez is enough to keep him happy. Miami Heat They finished 10th in the East but secured the No. 8 seed via the play in-tournament ... then were swept in the first round in historic fashion, the final two games by a combined 92 points. Heat president Pat Riley said May 9 at his end-of-season press conference that 'there has to be some change' and that Miami 'probably won't run it back.' Thus far, the opposite looks true. Terry Rozier and Andrew Wiggins, an expensive pair of players who have underwhelmed, remain on the roster. Duncan Robinson, an undrafted player who has shined in moments, did Miami a solid by reportedly exercising an early termination option to ease the cap burden. If the Heat do work on a revised long-term deal with Robinson, it signals more of the status quo. As it stands right now, the only player on the books for next season who wasn't with the team last year is No. 20 overall pick Kasparas Jakučionis.
