For the first time since re-signing with the Toronto Raptors in an expanded role as vice-chairman and president, Masai Ujiri will address the media on Wednesday.
His comments can be watched in their entirety right here on Sportsnet.ca, starting at 2 p.m. ET/ 11 a.m. PT, through the video player on this page. If the stream does not appear at the scheduled time, please refresh the page.
Ujiri’s address comes after a transformative off-season for the Raptors, one that saw the team part ways with franchise icon Kyle Lowry in a sign-and-trade deal with the Miami Heat for Precious Achiuwa and Goran Dragic, ushering in a new era of Raptors basketball.
One part of that new era became clearer at the NBA Draft, when Toronto used its highest draft pick since 2006 on Scottie Barnes. But for much of the off-season the most pressing issue for the Raptors’ long-term ambitions was the future of Ujiri himself and whether the architect of the 2019 championship-winning team would return.
When the time was right, Ujiri left no room for doubts.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead this team. I love being the leader of the Toronto Raptors and I’m here to stay,” Ujiri said in a video shared by the team on Aug. 5. “On the court, our goal is clear: Win. It’s simple: Win. Bring another championship to Toronto. We are united in that mission and nothing else will do. We will bring young talent to this city and continue to build with our unbelievable players. I’ve said it before, and I am saying it again: We will win in Toronto.”
