When the Toronto Raptors won the NBA Championship, there was a collective sigh of relief from all of Canada. Finally, the Canadian market proved itself in a league where many thought it never would, an organization that has seen too many stars decline to play, or leave the Raps after a few years.

There was one man to thank, likely a man more relieved than anyone else, Raptors President Masai Ujiri.

Ujiri took a huge leap of faith the off-season prior when he traded Raptors legend and fan favourite DeMar DeRozan (along with some other pieces) to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green.

The deal was met with all kinds of reaction, with a lot of Toronto calling for Ujiri’s job. While the heartache was real, the move was good, and at season’s end the Raps were lifting Larry O’Brien.

Unfortunately, the treasured moments after winning the title were marred for Ujiri by an incident that would lead to a legal dispute with a security officer named Alan Strickland. As Ujiri tried to make his way down to the court to celebrate with the championship winning team he’d built, Strickland confronted him. In multiple videos you can see the two’s altercation, and more recently body cam footage has emerged to further depict the situation.

While this could simply be chocked up as a miscommunication, so could a lot of situations with racial undertones. Earlier today, Leo Rautins discussed on-air how he – a white man – was able to take the court with absolutely no problem. Questions arose whether Ujiri’s skin colour had anything to do with the altercation in the first place, whether it was intentional or not.

Ujiri and the Raptors, who have been very outspoken during the recent uproar against social injustice, took to social media to share a message to fans. In the beautifully crafted message, Ujiri reflects on the incident with Strickland, and explains very articulately why there may have been more to the altercation than simply a miscommunication.

Thank you to everybody who has expressed disappointment and concern regarding the video that was recently released. My family and I are deeply grateful for your care and consideration.

 

The video sadly demonstrates how horribly I was treated by a law enforcement officer last year in the midst of my team, the Toronto Raptors, winning its first world championship. It was an exhilarating moment of achievement for our organization, for our players, for our city, for our country, and for me personally, given my long-tenured professional journey in the NBA. Yet, unfortunately, I was reminded in that moment that despite all of my hard work and success, there are some people, including those who are supposed to protect us, who will always and only see me as something that is unworthy of respectful engagement. And, there’s only one indisputable reason why that is the case - because I am Black.

 

What saddens me most about this ordeal is that the only reason why I am getting the justice I deserve in this moment is because of my success. Because I’m the President of a NBA team, I had access to resources that ensured I could demand and fight for my justice. So many of my brothers and sisters haven’t had, don’t have, and won’t have the same access to resources that assured my justice. And that’s why Black Lives Matter.

 

And that’s why it’s important for all of us to keep demanding justice. Justice for George. Justice for Breonna. Justice for Elijah. Justice for far too many Black lives that mattered. And justice for Black people around the world, who need our voice and our compassion to save their lives.

 

Those are the ties that bind us.

 

With love and determination,

 

Masai Ujiri

 

The sheriff’s department has stood by their original claim that Ujiri was the aggressor, so this issue is likely far from over.

(H/T Toronto Raptors)