NBA: Raptors Parting Ways With Vice President And Chairman Masai Ujiri After 13 Seasons
The decision comes less than a day after the conclusion of the 2025 NBA Draft.
The Toronto Raptors announced earlier today that they are relieving team vice president and chairman Masai Ujiri of his duties after 13 years with the franchise. This comes less than 24 hours after the conclusion of the 2025 NBA Draft, where the Raptors drafted forward Collin Murray-Boyles and guard Alijah Martin.
“During his 13 seasons with the Raptors, Masai has helped transform the organization on the court and has been an inspirational leader off it,” said Keith Pelley, the president of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (the company that owns the Raptors as well as the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs), in a statement. “He brought an NBA championship to Toronto and urged us to believe in this city, and ourselves. We are grateful for all he has done and wish him and his family the very best.”
Despite Ujiri’s dismissal, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment said the other members of the franchise’s leadership team will remain in their current positions. Plus, the team signed general manager Bobby Webster to a contract extension.
BREAKING: Masai Ujiri is out as Vice Chairman and President of the Toronto Raptors, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/JIXUMUXz55
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 27, 2025
“We are confident that the Raptors organization, under the guidance of Bobby and his team, is in a great place,” Pelley wrote. “They have a plan in place for next season and beyond as the team continues its rebuild, and we have confidence in their ability to execute and ultimately, to excel.”
During his tenure, Masai Ujiri led the Raptors to new heights, which included an NBA Championship in 2019 over the Golden State Warriors. Before joining Toronto, he was named the NBA Executive of the Year in 2013 while working for the Denver Nuggets.
A hot commodity is now available
Do not let recent records fool you, Masai Ujiri has consistently been one of the best executives in the NBA for years. This was a guy who was able to literally make the most out of a one-year player rental when he acquired Kawhi Leonard from the San Antonio Spurs. After that trade, he also brought in Marc Gasol, Greg Monroe, and Jeremy Lin. The resulting roster was strong enough to win the first Championship in Raptors history!
What are some of the other managerial moves that Ujiri made or oversaw? He selected Pascal Siakam with the 27th pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. He signed Fred VanVleet as an undrafted free agent in 2016. He helped find Nick Nurse to be the team’s next head coach after firing Dwane Casey. Other players drafted during Ujiri’s tenure include Scottie Barnes, OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, Delon Wright, and Gradey Dick.
MLSE parts ways with Raptors President and Vice Chairman Masai Ujiri pic.twitter.com/H43RI8qv5H
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) June 27, 2025
Masai Ujiri has a fantastic résumé as an executive. This is why any team searching for a new general manager or uncertain about their current executive leaders should pick up the phone and at least gauge Ujiri’s interest in joining their franchise. If Masai Ujiri can turn Toronto into a championship-winning organization, imagine what he could do with a team that is incredibly appealing to free agents. No offense to Toronto, but it’s not one of the most highly sought-after player destinations in the NBA.
Though he is used to holding a higher position within an NBA organization, Ujiri should at least consider the general manager vacancy in Denver. They already have a superstar in Nikola Jokić and a roster ready to compete for a championship now. If Ujiri can come in and pull some strings like he did during the Raptors’ 2018-19 season, then the Nuggets could be back in the NBA Finals next year.
I doubt Ujiri would want to be just a general manager, though. He’ll probably want a better title, like team president or the head of basketball operations, which makes sense because there are at least 19 NBA franchises that would be better off under Ujiri’s leadership. Unfortunately, those vacancies are few and far between, but should that type of position become available for any NBA team, their first call should be to Masai Ujiri.