Toronto – Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) decided it was time to move forward 13 years later from Toronto Raptors president and vice chairman Masai Ujiri.
This is a cold decision. MLSE President and CEO Keith Pelley said he had been talking to Ujiri about the future of the past few months after speaking to the media after a long weekend in Canada. The decision to move forward was made earlier this month.
Ujiri, once a professional and Raptors loyalist, suggested it would be best to set off after this year’s draft. Pelley saw the trail and saw the value. Ujiri’s departure was announced Friday with a year left on his contract after the selections of Collin Murray-Boyles and Alijah Martin.
“The decision is such a big one,” Paley said. “In this case, the main reason is the situation and where the basketball is currently in operation. As I said, the stability of our roster, our front desk stability and the stability with our coaching staff.
“This allows us to decide to move forward.”
The history of success in Ujiri
So, all in all, Pelley and MLSE decided to cut the tree at its bottom.
Quick history lessons. In the 18 years before Ujiri’s arrival, the Raptors won a playoff series and never experienced a 50-win regular season. In 12 seasons with Ujiri, Toronto has five 50-win seasons and has won nine playoff series including the 2019 NBA championship.
It’s been a few years for the Raptors, missing the playoffs in every of the last three seasons. Last season, they finished the game 25-57 in 2023-24 and 30-52. But, as Pelley said, the group is in a stable position, completing the pivot from Pascal Siakam-Fred Vanvleet-og Anunoby Core to Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram and Immanuel Quickley as the core.
In addition to being successful on the court, Ujiri has firmly solidified the Toronto community. His media opportunities became a must-see TV, pushing an unsafe city to believe in itself and make fans believe in itself. His youth basketball program, the Giants of Africa, helped build the good he wanted to achieve and his true passion for giving back to the community.
Recently, we saw what Luka Doncic means to the city of Dallas. An administration that is nearly impossible to be respected as a player.
This is the only possibility for people like Ujiri in Toronto. He both leaves legend and hero as he completely reshapes the Raptor from the NBA joke’s ass to the champion.
Decisions are not based on performance
This day has begun since Ujiri negotiated a new contract in 2021.
The people he negotiated mainly were executives of Bell and Rogers, a pair of media companies, each with 37.5% of MLSE. Edward Rogers, the current executive chairman of Rogers, competes for Ujiri.
He reportedly not only asked Ujiri to go out, but also called Ujiri and told him that he was not worth the money he was paid for. He is believed to have also called him Ujiri arrogant, which has brought the Raptors executives to a fight and considered staying away from the team.
Larry Tanenbaum, who was then the MLSE chairman, has long been regarded as the effective owner of the Raptors. He has long been a supporter of Ujiri, and along with Bell, he is ready to give Ujiri a five-year contract to make him happy. Good people won that time.
A lot has changed since 2021.
In September 2024, Rogers acquired a 37.5% stake in Bell to increase its own ownership stake to 75%. Meanwhile, Tanenbaum has stripped a little bit, focusing on ownership of the city’s new WNBA team, Toronto Tempo. Although he owns a 20% stake in MLSE and is a board reputation, the main Rogers stake is a big factor.
Ujiri has long valued autonomy in his process while waving his vision in court, which seems too ambitious for what Rogers is trying to achieve from it. Rogers now opens an open driveway on what happened on Friday.
Raptor gambling, no future confirmed
While Pelley might say it was his decision, frankly, the company PR said avoid saying it was the board, especially Ed Rogers’ board. They simply don’t want to pay the fee to retain one of the best executives in the North American movement.
Prior to joining Ujiri, the franchise had a win rate of .407. During his reign, he won 56.5% of the game with Toronto. All wins brought the franchise value from $404 million in 2013 to $4.4 billion as of November 2024.
Even with the recent struggles, there are some points related to the way corporate wheels become influences. The Raptors are seeking to exit the reconstruction phase and are already paying luxury taxes.
When asked what Pelley would look for in the new president, he said he wanted a strong, outstanding businessman with a deep basketball business background. He also confirmed that current general manager Bobby Webster has received an extension of the contract and will interview the position of president of the team.
It is obvious that cost-cutting and efficient financial management will be the way Operandi moves forward.
A Raptor basketball era replaced by passion and unremitting pursuits of victory, relentless pursuits will be replaced by indifferent decision-making and budget cuts.
