Masai Ujiri joins ownership group of WNBA's Toronto Tempo - ESPN

Former Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri has joined the ownership group of the Toronto Tempo, the city's new WNBA franchise that begins play this season.

«I think women's sports is growing in an incredible way. You see it in the WNBA, in soccer, in hockey, and to bring a brand like this for the first time to a city that I know, a beautiful city that's passionate, that I believe in — I think this will really resonate,» Ujiri told ESPN. «Ownership is a unique opportunity for me and my family.»

Ujiri is joining the ownership group led by Larry Tanenbaum, with whom he won Toronto's only NBA title in 2019. In the year since he parted ways with the Raptors, Ujiri, who grew up in Nigeria, has focused on his work with Giants of Africa, the United Nations and the Zaria Group, which is building sports and entertainment infrastructure throughout Africa.

«It's been extremely busy,» Ujiri said of his year away from the NBA, which he has spent mostly in Florida with his family. «I was able to focus on my family. I went from having a driver for 12 years because I'm always on the phone, to now being an Uber driver for my kids.

»They're in sports and they take them to this practice, take them to that. And then I've been working on facilities and infrastructure on the continent.

«We just completed the sports city [in Rwanda] and now I'm doing things with the U.N. in the Sahel [region of north-central Africa]. And we're going to open in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Mauritania in a few weeks. We made a pledge to build the sports complexes, and they're absolutely incredible.»

Still, Ujiri has stayed close to the NBA world — talking often with former players from the Raptors, coaches, executives and several owners with an eye on returning to