The most important work Masai Ujiri does really doesn’t have anything to do with managing an NBA roster. The Toronto Raptors general manager helps youth in Africa through his organization, Giants of Africa, and the NBA’s Basketball without Borders.
ALL ACCESS: In Africa with Raptors GM Masai Ujiri
Ujiri recently spoke with Dave Zarum and JD Bunkis on the Free Association podcast about his work in Africa this summer.
Here are some of his most memorable quotes.
On his hands-on approach with Giants of Africa:
“I think it’s the best way for the youth in Africa to see we all want to work hard, we all want that development and we want to create a path for them and also an opportunity. Those things are things we’ve done since the start of the camp. It’s the only way I know how to do it.”
On why it doesn’t feel like work:
“To be honest, it’s fun. I don’t want my wife to hear this but I always say that’s almost like a vacation for me because Basketball without Borders, Giants of Africa, spending time on the continent and interacting with kids and interacting with community events just means so much. For me, it’s not giving back, it’s really an obligation for us and a responsibility for us.”
On how he finds the time to balance Giants of Africa, Basketball without Borders and his duties with the Raptors:
“It’s a passion. I’ll find time to sleep later on in life. I remember when I got the first opportunity to become a GM a couple people that I really trust, mentors, they said to me: ‘This job is very challenging. There’s a lot of pressure and it’s time consuming and all this stuff, but never forget the things you love to do. Never forget your family and never forget things you love to do.’ And I’m passionate and I love the development of the youth on my continent in Africa. It’s huge in my heart so I never really consider it time spent somewhere else. You find time to do your best to help the youth.”
On why playing pro basketball isn’t the be-all and end-all for camp participants:
“Use basketball as a tool. We’ve been doing these camps for years. How many basketball players Basketball without Borders or how many NBA players have come out of Giants of Africa? I can tell you I know about 150 [camp participants] that have graduated from U.S. colleges or universities around the world or even more kids that have graduated from universities in Africa, which is huge. They continue to be part of the basketball community in whatever they’re doing but they use basketball as a tool. You can be a sports journalist, you can be a sport lawyer, you can do sports medicine. There’s so many things that you can do just using the game as a tool. Just be passionate, work hard and never forget the educational piece and the opportunity that comes with that.”
On how each country they visit presents different challenges:
“Some places the kids are much younger, some places we still face the challenges of over-aged players that change ages. We face challenges everywhere. The right way to face challenges is identifying them right away and facing them square on and that’s what we try to do with our camps. You go from Ghana to Nigeria, from Nigeria to Ghana, to Kenya to Rwanda, I was with Luol Deng in Senegal doing work with seeds and then Basketball without Borders in South Africa. They’re all challenging but they’re great challenges because there’s different talent and [youth] that need help and need a path.”
On the growth of the Giants of Africa program:
“It’s come a long way. We’ve come from struggling to get basketballs or struggling to get the lights turned on in the gym or even struggling to scout kids around the around the continent. Now, with the help of ownership here and with the help of people that talk about it and [give the program exposure], we’re very thankful because people become more aware, it’s more written about, it’s more talked about and that helps us get things done.
“Also, just like other things in life naturally you build relationships and you try to enhance your network. Things become easier because you know people and you’ve been good to people. I always tell these kids, treat the next person like you want to be treated yourself because that’s going to help us down the road. What we always tell the kids in the camps now: how you behave, whether while using a school in Nigeria or a stadium in Kigali in Rwanda, how you treat that gym is going to be directly correlated to the kind of kids, the kind of equipment, the kind of people that help us the following year. We always have to be good, we always have to be on our best behaviour and we always have to treat people well and that has helped along with the experience over the years.”
To learn more about Giants of Africa visit giantsofafrica.org.
To learn more about Basketball without Borders visit nba.com/bwb
