Nigerian ex-international, Masai Ujiri is reportedly facing stiff opposition to his continued role as vice-chairman and president of USA National Basketball Association (NBA) former champions, Toronto Raptors.
Megasportsarena.com gathered that, although he recently got a contract extension on August 5th, it has been revealed that not everyone at the Canada-based side was happy with the development.
According to a report by Yahoo Sports, Ujiri is still facing a stiff battle to retain is top posts with The Raptors, even as attention shifts to another run in the NBA season that dunked-off last week, with everyone at Toronto now apprehensive of the future.
The report adds: The Raptors vice-chairman and president Masai Ujiri was finally re-signed to a multi-year extension, much to the delight and relief of fans, following months of speculation over his future.
However, a report by Toronto Star’s Christine Dobby and Doug Smith, not all in the MLSE boardroom were as eager to keep the 51-year-old around, as one of the heads of Canadian telecom giant Rogers Communications, Edward Rogers, reportedly went to great lengths to keep the Raptors from re-signing Ujiri.
Dobby and Smith report that Rogers believed the compensation offered to Ujiri was too high, and that the team would be okay without him at the helm.
Rogers, who allegedly confronted the Raptors president over his grievances, leaving Ujiri feeling disrespected and reportedly considering taking time away from his position with the team, told The Star: “Masai understands better than anyone that negotiations test both sides.”
Larry Tanenbaum, Dale Lastman and Mirko Bibic — key members of the MLSE board — reassured Ujiri that he was wanted in Toronto and convinced him to return, according to Dobby and Smith.
Rogers reportedly contacted the NBA’s front office and league commissioner Adam Silver, complaining that his demands to MLSE were being ignored. League officials told Rogers that Tanenbaum, the team’s governor, had the power to overrule the board, and did so in order to bring Ujiri back.
According to Dobby and Smith’s report, Ujiri was highly coveted throughout the professional sports world while he negotiated over his future, with lucrative offers coming in from teams around the NBA and even from the English Premier League, England’s top soccer division.
Under Ujiri, the Raptors qualified for the playoffs in every season between 2013 and 2020, claiming four division titles and the 2019 NBA Championship. His success has added $500 million in value to the Raptors since his arrival, according to the report.
