WME Sports has signed Masai Ujiri, vice chairman and and president of the Toronto Raptors Basketball Club and alternate NBA governor, in all areas.
The agency will focus on expanding Ujiri’s business across content, brand partnerships, books, speaking and social impact. WME most recently served as an advisor during his contract negotiations and will support Ujiri’s business and strategic efforts across Africa and Canada.
Ujiri joined the Raptors in 2013 as the first and only African president of a professional sports franchise. As president, he oversees both the player operations (scouting, draft/free agency, etc.) and business operations (marketing, finance, sales etc.). He has been praised for helping the Canadian team achieve one of the best overall records in recent sports history, and in 2019, Ujiri led the Raptors to their first-ever NBA Championship.
In 2010, Ujiri was hired as executive vice president of basketball operations for the Denver Nuggets, becoming the first African general manager in the NBA. A year later, he negotiated a 12-player deal that sent All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks. In 2012-13, he was named NBA Executive of the Year after leading the Nuggets to 57 wins — a team record.
An athlete himself, Ujiri has played basketball professionally in Europe for six years, with stops in Belgium, Germany, England, Greece and Finland. He then went on to scout all over the world, including Europe, Africa, Asia and South America.
On the humanitarian side, he has helped promote and develop the sport in Africa, serving as a co-founder of the Giants of Africa Foundation, which uses basketball as an educational tool for African youth.
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