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Masai Ujiri, the Nigerian-born basketball executive who built the Toronto Raptors into the 2019 NBA champions, has joined the WNBA's Toronto Tempo as a principal owner alongside Serena Williams, returning to Toronto's sporting landscape less than a year after parting ways with the Raptors to take a stake in the city's new women's basketball franchise ahead of its inaugural 2026 season.
Ujiri joins an ownership group led by Larry Tanenbaum, chairman of Kilmer Sports Ventures, which was awarded the WNBA expansion franchise in May 2024. The Tempo will be the WNBA's 14th franchise and the first located outside the United States. The team opens its debut season hosting the Washington Mystics at the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto on May 8.
The ownership group also includes Montreal Canadiens owner Geoff Molson, tech executive Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, comedian and media figure Lilly Singh and several other Canadian business and civic leaders. Williams had previously been announced as part of the group.
"As an honourary Canadian, I'm excited to be part of the Tempo team as I believe they are building something truly historic, a franchise that represents not only Canada, but the future of basketball," Ujiri said. "I believe deeply in the vision behind the Tempo: creating female leaders, elevating women not just on the court, but across the organization, and building a championship culture from day one."
Ujiri's path to this moment runs through 12 years at the helm of the Raptors, where he arrived in 2013 as executive vice president and general manager after being named NBA Executive of the Year that same year for building the Denver Nuggets into a 57-win team. He was later promoted to team president and, in 2019, assembled the roster that delivered Toronto its only NBA championship. The Raptors and Ujiri parted ways in June 2025. He described himself as the first African general manager in North American professional sports.
Since leaving the Raptors, Ujiri has remained active through Giants of Africa, the basketball development charity he founded in 2003 that uses the sport to deliver empowerment and leadership programming to African youth. He is also a co-founder of Zaria Group, a firm focused on sports, entertainment and cultural infrastructure across Africa. In 2025, the United Nations Secretary-General appointed him as a Sustainable Development Goals Advocate.
Tanenbaum, who worked alongside Ujiri during his Raptors tenure as a minority owner, said the addition brought more than basketball experience to the franchise.
"Masai's leadership, his vision, and his deep belief in the power of sport make him an extraordinary addition to our ownership group," Tanenbaum said. "In his role as a principal owner, his influence and values align perfectly with what Tempo stands for, equity, excellence, and purpose."
Alongside the ownership announcement, Ujiri launched Tempo Rising, a global coaching mentorship programme created in collaboration with the Tempo. The initiative supports women-identifying and non-binary coaches at the entry level of competitive coaching and offers mentorship, professional development and hands-on coaching experience. Ujiri will guide the programme alongside team general manager Monica Wright Rogers and head coach Sandy Brondello.
The Tempo will build its initial roster through a WNBA expansion draft this week, selecting alongside the Portland Fire, the league's other 2026 expansion franchise. The two new teams expand the WNBA to 15 franchises.
Ujiri made clear he intends to be a hands-on owner rather than a passive investor. Tempo president Teresa Resch, who spent 11 seasons working within the Raptors organisation alongside Ujiri, said she expected his involvement to be a genuine competitive asset.
"Having worked with him for 10 years in Raptors leadership, understanding how he sees team building both on the court and off, I know that's going to be a huge benefit for us," Resch said.
Ujiri described ownership as a new kind of ambition.
"The big dream is being in ownership. You'd do it at all different levels and this level is one of the highest in sports," he said. "It's an honour, honestly, to be a part of a league like this and a part of an ownership group like this."
He also left little doubt about what he wants the franchise to achieve. "There's a hunger in me," he told reporters. "I want to win again."
