After the announcement broke that Masai Ujiri and the Toronto Raptors had parted ways, MLSE (the company that owns the Raptors, Maple Leafs, Argonauts, and TFC) made their CEO, Keith Pelley, available. It was a strange, solemn event, and as much as Pelley was trying to keep it fairly light/transactional, it was hard to get past the haze of discomfort that was palpable.
That’s to be expected when a franchise loses its Giant, its heart and soul, and its leader. The effects of the Raptors losing Ujiri will be felt immediately, but his legacy will be remembered from the fond memories of how he took an underdog city and turned it into an epicentre of culture and pride.