Ahead of the WNBA expansion draft on Friday, the Toronto Tempo have added Masai Ujiri to their ownership group. <\/p>\n
The Tempo announced on Tuesday that Ujiri, who spent 12 years in the front office for the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, has joined the franchise as a principal owner. <\/p>\n
Ujiri spoke about this new opportunity with the first WNBA club in Canada to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne:<\/a><\/p>\n “I think women’s sports is growing in an incredible way. You see it in the WNBA, in soccer, in hockey, and to bring a brand like this for the first time to a city that I know, a beautiful city that’s passionate, that I believe in\u2014I think this will really resonate. Ownership is a unique opportunity for me and my family.”<\/p>\n Larry Tanenbaum is the primary owner of the Tempo, with Serena Williams also\u00a0having a stake<\/a>\u00a0in the franchise.<\/p>\n A Toronto native, Tanenbaum has been a key presence in bringing new professional sports teams to the city. He is the chairman emeritus of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment and is a minority owner of the Raptors.<\/p>\n Ujiri and Tanenbaum worked together with the Raptors during Ujiri’s tenure with the franchise that began in 2013 when he was hired as executive vice president and general manager.<\/p>\n The Raptors promoted Ujiri to president of basketball operations in 2016. He was widely credited as the main architect of the 2018-19 team that defeated the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals for the franchise’s first championship.<\/p>\n