Raptors President Masai Ujiri reflects on 20-year anniversary of Giants of Africa foundation

Giants of Africa, Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri’s foundation that conducts basketball camps for boys and girls along with outreach initiatives, is celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, but the Raptors executive, in conversation with Sportsnet, said there is still a lot of work to be done.

“We’re going to be 20 next year, and you want to measure progress. You want to measure work that has been done in the past. We went from camps and clinics to one country to many countries. We went from refugee camps to slums to tough areas, trying to advocate peace to building courts. It’s always what’s next. That’s how the mind works, and it centers around how youth can grow and become bigger,” Ujiri said.

Giants of Africa recently completed a project that sought to build 100 basketball courts in 2021. Ujiri said the biggest hurdle to overcome for the foundation is infrastructure in Africa.

“How do you build infrastructure on the continent? Where do these kids play? Where are these tournaments, leagues, and all these things being held? When we start thinking of how we’re going to transform this continent, it has to be infrastructure, and that’s a good lesson for me for the last 20 years.”

Ujiri and other Raptors players continue to inspire and show young children they can achieve their dreams.

He commented on the relationship between Raptors’ rookie Christian Koloko, who, like Pascal Siakam, is from Cameroon. Still, he added the two did not know each other before Koloko joining the Raptors.

“I think the continent is even bigger than people think. For these guys to actually know each other, it has to take a basketball situation, a camp or a clinic or a competition, but it tells you how much talent there is on the continent that these two guys come from the same place, the same country as [76ers star] Joel Embiid,” said Ujiri.

Embiid, who plays for Philadelphia, was also born in Cameroon. Ujiri said it was incredible to see them all take the court when the Raptors played the 76ers this year.

Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri speaks to the media. (Frank Gunn/CP).

“The world is ahead of all of them. And they also have young kids that look up to them now. So there’s going to be more of them. And because Christian saw Pascal, he saw Embiid. And said, ‘These guys can do it, then I can try, and I can be,” shared Ujiri.

“I think it was a good moment for us on the continent to see that. It was an even bigger moment for me to see [OG Anunoby], Precious [Achiuwa] Christian and Pascal on the court simultaneously. Four African players in a Raptor uniform play on the court; that’s really special.”

Koloko was drafted in the second round (33rd overall) by Toronto in the 2022 NBA draft. Achiuwa was acquired in the sign-and-trade deal that saw Kyle Lowry on the Miami Heat, and both Siakam and Anunoby were first-round draft picks of the Raptors.

“You see these guys go from one place sitting down the camps to like coming on now and facing the pressures of ‘This is my life now. This is what they do now.’ They’re learning. They’re growing. They’re attentive. I think, most importantly, they are durable young men,” said Ujiri.

“I truly commend them for their journey. They’re all so inspiring, which is a big part of our hearts right to know like, what can you become and don’t stop because you carry the weight of a continent on your shoulder.”

Ahead of Black History Month in February, Urjiri shared how he felt about the progress since George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis at the hands of a police officer.

Urjiri was quite outspoken in the weeks and months following Floyd’s murder. At the time, the Raptors executive said conversations about racism could no longer be avoided in the aftermath. Several corporations and institutions at the time committed to doing more to fight anti-Black racism and wanting to engage.

When asked if he has seen any of that support in what he is doing with the Giants of Africa Foundation, Ujiri said, “I think people support. Have they supported themselves as much? I think that is the question to be asked of some of these organizations. I’ll leave it at that.”