Masai Ujiri Joins Ownership Group of Toronto’s New WNBA Franchise, the Tempo

Former Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri has been added to the ownership consortium of the Toronto Tempo, Canada’s first WNBA franchise, which will begin play in the 2024 season. The group is led by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment chairman Larry Tanenbaum, with whom Ujiri won the Raptors’ 2019 NBA title. Ujiri will work directly with team president Teresa Resch and general manager Monica Wright Rogers.

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Since leaving the Raptors in 2023, Ujiri has focused on the Giants of Africa nonprofit, United Nations projects, and the Zaria Group’s sports-infrastructure builds across Africa, including a sports city in Rwanda and upcoming complexes in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Mauritania. He also noted a personal shift from using a private driver to acting as an Uber driver for his children, underscoring a renewed family focus. A 2023 police incident in San Francisco, in which a sheriff’s deputy stopped Ujiri from celebrating the Raptors’ title, left a “sour taste” that he says fuels his drive to win another championship.

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The ownership roster includes Larry Tanenbaum, Teresa Resch (team president), Monica Wright Rogers (GM), and head coach Sandy Brondello. Ujiri will also co-lead “Tempo Rising,” a mentorship program that offers emerging women-identifying and non-binary coaches direct access to senior staff and hands-on coaching experiences.

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Ujiri said the Tempo’s launch reflects the rapid growth of women’s sports and aims to expand coaching opportunities for women-identifying and non-binary talent, thereby increasing the visibility of women’s basketball in North America.

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Ujiri called ownership a “unique opportunity” for his family and expressed confidence that the Tempo will resonate with Toronto fans. He linked his competitive ambition to the 2023 police encounter, saying it created a lingering hunger to celebrate future victories. Resch praised Ujiri’s mentorship since 2008 and lauded his strategic vision for building a cohesive organization.

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• “I think women's sports is growing in an incredible way.” — Masai Ujiri, Owner, Toronto Tempo

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• “Ownership is a unique opportunity for me and my family.” — Masai Ujiri

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• “There's a hunger in me because of what happened," he said.” — Masai Ujiri

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Ticket sales and community outreach for the 2024 season are underway. Tempo Rising will launch its inaugural coaching cohort in early 2025, providing mentorship, professional-development workshops, and on-court experience under the guidance of Ujiri, Wright Rogers and Coach Brondello.

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