A Name You Should Know: Masai Ujiri

The Toronto Raptors have defeated the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the NBA finals, winning the series 4-2. Toronto is a city of champions.

There's so many places to start when talking about this series but one man who should be on headlines but will instead be a figure behind the scenes is Masai Ujiri. The general manager of the raptors did something unprecedented last summer, and the bold moves made by the GM led to the Raptors winning their first ever NBA Championship. At the end of the 2017-2018 season, the raptors were the number one seed in the east, and they had the coach of the year in Dwayne Casey and an all star in Demar Derozan. Despite these talents, they were knocked out of the playoffs by Lebron James and the Cavs without putting up much of a fight.

Masai Ujiri traded his all star to the San Antonio Spurs for Kawhi Leonard on a one year deal who had only played 8 games the season before. Not only did he do this but he only got rid of his coach of the year in Dwayne Casey and brought in an unproven Nick Nurse. Moves like this surprised the league. Kawhi Leonard was a great player, but trading away the heart and soul of the team in Demar Derozan left question marks in most peoples head's. Kawhi on a one year deal meant championship or bust for Ujiri's plan.

Although Kawhi may not stay with the Raptors, Ujiri's plan worked, he got the nation of Canada an NBA title.