Just because someone lives in a hut, that doesn't mean that isn't a good person, that that person can't do better, that person isn't capable of being great. And just because it's a hut - whatever that means - doesn't mean it's not a home.
Masai Ujiri
You have to be unique in your own ways and the ways that you play to find a way to win. You can't always go with the trend that's going on. Sometimes you have to create the trend yourself and be confident in it.
Nelson Mandela saw the potential of Africa and dedicated his life to changing the world in which we live while inspiring a movement towards social justice, peace and equal human rights.
I always say in my camps in Africa, in everything we do, 'My name is Masai and I'm from Nigeria.' My name is Masai and I'm from Nigeria. It's plain and simple. If you're from La Loche or you are from Toronto you should be proud of it.
You need some luck in life and I have been lucky with God's help.
Growing up in Africa, I always dreamt big.
I don't know how much of an impact I can have, but you hope you can have some.
Manute Bol was one of the guys who taught me to be bold. To be fierce. To speak intelligently, and speak like you belong.
I am confident about who I am as a person, my character, and as a human being.
When you talk about goals, you look at your team last year and you want to move the meter a little bit. You don't want to go back and be the same team that you were last year, so we have tried to get better in some ways.
I was probably the best cherry picker in the history of African basketball. I got so many dunks, it was crazy.
Scouting is like CIA work and investigative work. You create a lot of stuff and try a lot of stuff. Some works and some doesn't. I try to get creative.
Basketball without Borders made me who I am and it's just something that is such a huge part of my life.
Nelson Mandela knew that sport has the power to inspire and unite people in a way that little else does.
For me, it's always been about Toronto. I love it here. My family loves it here. My wife loves it here, which is important.
I wasn't a great player, but I got a lot out of the game. I saw the world and made many lifelong friends.
I carry the continent of Africa on my shoulders proudly.
Giants of Africa holds such a special place in my heart. It's not just another non-profit organization - this is personal. What started as a dream to give back to the country that raised me has since blossomed into an intercontinental mission to uplift youth across the diaspora, and shed light on the greatest part of Africa: its people.
When my mom travelled, she would bring me basketball tapes.
The natural thing in Africa is to start playing soccer at 8 or 9. You go outside and you play like kids play basketball here, and you grow a feel for the game. In Africa, the kids start playing basketball at 16 or 17 or 18, and when they get an opportunity to come here, they have been playing for only one or two years.
A player from Africa who wins championships? That's powerful.
I study history. I study the game. I study the NBA and the team I'm working for very, very closely.
Our job is to find players younger, where they are able to play from 11 years old and grow up playing the game. Rather than, you start playing when you are 17 or 18 and you don't get the opportunity to do anything with your career.
I memorized every line in Michael Jordan's 'Come Fly with Me.'
We have to inspire people and give them a sense of hope. We need to bring people along, not ridicule and tear them down.
I'll always have a special place in my heart for the city of Denver and the Nuggets as an organization.
You go for the best talent available, wherever it is. You fish it out. That's how I've scouted all my career. Doesn't matter where it is - international, domestic, college, anywhere.
To be honest, women just make us smarter. They make us better. I've noticed that in my workplace. I've noticed that at home. I've noticed that in my past experiences in life.
As an NBA executive, I'm always looking for untapped potential. As a proud native of Nigeria, I believe that Africa is one of the world's greatest resources in that area.
It's easy to defend, in my opinion, when you play one-on-one.
Everyone mentions the fact that I am the first African GM. I think it means nothing unless you impact people in Africa. That's what we're trying to try to continue to do - impact the game and make an impact on people over there.
Sport can change the world.
Most young kids can't figure out how to shoot.
Africa has proven to produce some of the greatest athletes in the world, and it's a joy to be able to help grow that talent and create a space for African youth to learn.
That's why we play sports, is to compete for championships.
I represent a great continent. People ask, Is there pressure on me? I don't feel pressure at all. It's an unbelievable challenge for me, but I feel like I carry the weight of my continent on my shoulders. I want to help the next generation in Africa.
You have to figure out that balance between younger players and veteran players, star players, and All-Star players, really a team effort. And then you have to be lucky.
God doesn't put anyone someplace permanently. I am a living testimony to that.
We all have the things that we all have to work on, and things we have to get better at.
I focus on very few things in life - my work, my family, my friends. Those things are important to me and I pay good attention to them, and everything else just comes and goes.
We're going to have tough times. We're going to have five-game losing streaks. Everybody goes through it.
I have a mother. I have a wife. I have a daughter. I have sisters. I can see just in my experience in my life, where sometimes they have been just put to the side in some of the things that they do.
To give women more opportunity, women's empowerment is very, very close to my heart.
Kids in Africa start kicking a ball when they are six or seven years old, if not younger. It's like baseball, basketball and football in America. If you're talented, people will find you. That's what happened with soccer. The number of academies has grown rapidly, and people are really into it.
Most kids in Africa don't start playing basketball until they are 13 or 14 years old. This puts them at a disadvantage because they lack the instincts and must work harder to develop the skills and habits formed at an early age.
As you can probably tell, the push to develop talent in Africa is personal. I grew up there. I played there. I know how much talent there is. We have to concentrate on building facilities, establishing successful leagues and finding investors to help young players.
The truth is that Africa is like everywhere else. There are poor areas, there are rich areas, there is a middle class. Some of those areas are bigger in one country than another, and some countries have real problems that they're working through. But there's great people, good people and a small percentage of bad people - just like everywhere else.
People hear 'Africa' and they think about charitable commercials, or safari tours and animals. It's our responsibility to help change that perspective.
This is my hobby. Reaching out, getting to know other people's cultures, traveling to other people's countries.
As leaders, I think we have to give people in many places a chance to have success, not continue to put those people down.
