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.

Masai Ujiri

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

Home Great Good

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.

Masai Ujiri

Time Yourself Yours

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.

Masai Ujiri

War Peace Men

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.

Masai Ujiri

You Ways Way

You need some luck in life and I have been lucky with God's help.

Masai Ujiri

Life God You

Growing up in Africa, I always dreamt big.

Masai Ujiri

Wing Win Ways

I don't know how much of an impact I can have, but you hope you can have some.

Masai Ujiri

Hope You T

Manute Bol was one of the guys who taught me to be bold. To be fierce. To speak intelligently, and speak like you belong.

Masai Ujiri

You Who Tell

I am confident about who I am as a person, my character, and as a human being.

Masai Ujiri

Who T Son

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.

Masai Ujiri

Your You Year

I was probably the best cherry picker in the history of African basketball. I got so many dunks, it was crazy.

Masai Ujiri

History UN Tory

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.

Masai Ujiri

Work You Works

Basketball without Borders made me who I am and it's just something that is such a huge part of my life.

Masai Ujiri

Life Art Without

Nelson Mandela knew that sport has the power to inspire and unite people in a way that little else does.

Masai Ujiri

Power Way Unite

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.

Masai Ujiri

Love Family Wife

I wasn't a great player, but I got a lot out of the game. I saw the world and made many lifelong friends.

Masai Ujiri

Life Great World

I carry the continent of Africa on my shoulders proudly.

Masai Ujiri

Car Tin T

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.

Masai Ujiri

Great Art Youth

When my mom travelled, she would bring me basketball tapes.

Masai Ujiri

Travel Mom Would

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.

Masai Ujiri

Art You Yin

A player from Africa who wins championships? That's powerful.

Masai Ujiri

I study history. I study the game. I study the NBA and the team I'm working for very, very closely.

Masai Ujiri

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.

Masai Ujiri

I memorized every line in Michael Jordan's 'Come Fly with Me.'

Masai Ujiri

We have to inspire people and give them a sense of hope. We need to bring people along, not ridicule and tear them down.

Masai Ujiri

I'll always have a special place in my heart for the city of Denver and the Nuggets as an organization.

Masai Ujiri

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.

Masai Ujiri

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.

Masai Ujiri

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.

Masai Ujiri

It's easy to defend, in my opinion, when you play one-on-one.

Masai Ujiri

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.

Masai Ujiri

Sport can change the world.

Masai Ujiri

Most young kids can't figure out how to shoot.

Masai Ujiri

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.

Masai Ujiri

That's why we play sports, is to compete for championships.

Masai Ujiri

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.

Masai Ujiri

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.

Masai Ujiri

God doesn't put anyone someplace permanently. I am a living testimony to that.

Masai Ujiri

We all have the things that we all have to work on, and things we have to get better at.

Masai Ujiri

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.

Masai Ujiri

We're going to have tough times. We're going to have five-game losing streaks. Everybody goes through it.

Masai Ujiri

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.

Masai Ujiri

To give women more opportunity, women's empowerment is very, very close to my heart.

Masai Ujiri

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.

Masai Ujiri

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.

Masai Ujiri

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.

Masai Ujiri

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.

Masai Ujiri

People hear 'Africa' and they think about charitable commercials, or safari tours and animals. It's our responsibility to help change that perspective.

Masai Ujiri

This is my hobby. Reaching out, getting to know other people's cultures, traveling to other people's countries.

Masai Ujiri

As leaders, I think we have to give people in many places a chance to have success, not continue to put those people down.

Masai Ujiri