Masai Ujiri views his new role with the Dallas Mavericks as a perfect match. “It’s almost like a match made in heaven,” he stated during his introduction as president of basketball operations and alternate governor. “Every single one of us in this world is chosen for something special, and we just have to find it. And I found basketball.”
Ujiri’s Impressive NBA Track Record
Ujiri made history as the first African to lead a major U.S. sports franchise, serving as general manager of the Denver Nuggets starting in 2010. He earned Executive of the Year honors in 2013 before joining the Toronto Raptors. There, he transformed a struggling team—the NBA’s only non-U.S. franchise—into champions.
He assembled a deep, international roster through smart drafts and a pivotal 2018 trade that sent DeMar DeRozan to acquire Kawhi Leonard. The Raptors claimed their first title less than a year later, reshaping Canadian sports culture.
Mavericks Seek Revival After Doncic Trade
Dallas traded superstar Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers 15 months ago in a highly controversial deal. Fans still grieve the loss of a future Hall of Famer. The team secured the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft, selecting Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg, yet missed the playoffs.
“There’s a healing process,” Ujiri noted regarding fan sentiment in the post-Dončić era. “Luka is a future Hall of Famer, and that’s the past. In Africa, we say when kings go, kings come. The king went, and we have a little prince here [in Flagg] that we’re going to turn into a king.”
With picks at ninth, 30th, and 48th in this year’s draft, Ujiri aims to build around Flagg, much like he did with OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam for Toronto’s championship run. His expertise positions the Mavericks to escape their financial and cultural challenges.
Ujiri’s Broader Impact Beyond Basketball
Basketball represents just part of Ujiri’s legacy. In 2003, while scouting unpaid for an NBA team, he co-founded Giants of Africa, providing basketball camps, courts, and opportunities for thousands of youth across the continent. “Sport doesn’t just unite people,” he has said. “It breaks down barriers, builds hope and transforms entire communities.”
His humanitarian work earned him recognition, including Officer of the Order of Canada. With the Raptors, he championed social causes like female empowerment and anti-racism, including branding the team bus “Black Lives Matter” after George Floyd’s death in 2020.
In a 2020 opinion piece, Ujiri wrote: “We all came into this world the same way – as humans. No one is born to be racist and none of us sees colour at first. I believe there are far more good people than bad people, but sometimes the good must do more than simply be good. They must overwhelm the bad.”
Ownership Dynamics and Ideological Tensions
Majority owner Miriam Adelson acquired the Mavericks from Mark Cuban for $3.5 billion in late 2023. The fifth-richest woman in America with an estimated $35 billion fortune from Las Vegas Sands, Adelson is a major political donor. In a 2023 op-ed, she described pro-Palestinian and Black Lives Matter activists as “not our critics. They are our enemies … And, as such, they should be dead to us.”
Adelson supported Donald Trump’s campaigns generously, donating over $100 million in 2024, and influenced policies like moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. She also backed Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in Israel. Recent Middle East conflicts include Israel’s actions in Gaza, labeled by some as genocide, and U.S. involvement with Iran.
Ujiri has voiced opposing views. In 2018, responding to Trump’s comments on certain countries, he said: “We have to inspire people and give them a sense of hope. We need to bring people along, not ridicule and tear them down. This cannot be the message that we accept from the leader of the free world.” He added that a Raptors championship would mean celebrating with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Navigating Texas Politics and Platform Power
In liberal-leaning Toronto, Ujiri benefited from supportive leadership like former Raptors governor Larry Tanenbaum. Now in conservative Texas with a high-profile team, challenges mount despite the Mavericks’ Democrat-skewing fanbase.
Players like Kyrie Irving, once outspoken on global issues—including Palestine, Israel, and dehumanization—have quieted since his 2023 trade to Dallas. “Basketball is just not the most important thing to me right now … All my people are still in bondage all across the world,” Irving said in 2021.
Podcast host Pablo Torre observed: “Kyrie Irving, even as he focuses on basketball, has liked lots of tweets in support of ending genocide in Gaza. And Mark Cuban has also long been on the record as a huge anti-Trump critic. But ever since Cuban sold Adelson the team … Everybody that I’ve mentioned has pretty much all shut up and dribbled, mainstreaming the image of Miriam Adelson.”
Ujiri could leverage his platform to advance causes subtly, as others have. His history suggests he may drive change within the organization and beyond.
