Raptors president Masai Ujiri named an officer of the Order of Canada

Toronto Raptors president and executive vice-chairman Masai Ujiri is getting another honour — and this time, it’s arguably Canada’s highest.

On Friday, it was announced by Governor General Mary Simon’s Office that Ujiri had been named an officer of the Order of Canada, an honour given to extraordinary individuals for their contributions to Canadian society.

The official release states that Ujiri is being honoured for “his contributions on and off the basketball court, as a humanitarian and an NBA president.”

A native of Bournemouth, UK, with Nigerian and Kenyan roots, Ujiri is among the league’s most widely respected front-office members.

“We are very proud that Masai has been named an Officer of the Order of Canada,” the Raptors shared in a statement.

Ujiri originally joined Toronto’s front office in 2008 before departing from the team in 2010 to join the Denver Nuggets as their general manager. In 2013, he returned to Toronto as the team’s general manager.

Over the last decade, the Raptors have transformed from a perennially disappointing franchise to one of the league’s most successful, winning six Atlantic Division titles and making eight playoff appearances since Ujiri re-joined the organization.

Ujiri’s crowning achievement came in 2019 when Toronto defeated the Golden State Warriors in six games to win the NBA championship, the first title by a Canadian team.

Outside of his work with the Raptors, Ujiri is also a co-founder of the Giants of Africa Foundation, which focuses on grassroots basketball in 17 African countries, hosting camps and building facilities throughout the continent.

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