After a modest professional playing career in Europe, Ujiri became a scout in 2002, first for the Orlando Magic and then the Denver Nuggets.

In the summer of 2016, Masai Ujiri relinquished his title as general manager to Jeff Weltman and accepted the position of president of basketball operations.

[3][4] As president, Ujiri worked to usher in a period of sustained success, helping the team win its first NBA championship in 2019.

Ujiri's father, a hospital administrator and nursing educator, is an Isoko from Aviara in Delta state, while his mother, a doctor, is a Kenyan from Machakos County.

This interest was fed by American sports magazines and VHS tapes of NBA games or basketball movies.

Entering high school, his parents allowed him to pursue his dream of playing college basketball and join a team in one of Europe's top leagues.

He left Nigeria for the United States to play for Nathan Hale High School in Seattle while staying with a Nigerian family.

[11] During an NBA summer league game in Boston, he met David Thorpe, who eventually introduced him to college coaches.

[12] Ujiri returned to the Nuggets in 2010, as general manager and executive vice president in charge of basketball operations.

[16] On May 31, 2013, Ujiri signed a 5-year, $15 million deal to become executive vice president and general manager of the Toronto Raptors, replacing Colangelo in that capacity.

[18] During Ujiri's tenure as general manager, the Raptors, led by the backcourt duo of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, returned to the playoffs in 2014.

After Weltman left the organization to join the Orlando Magic in 2017, Bobby Webster was named as the team's new general manager,[3][4] and began reshaping the Raptors roster after suffering consecutive second-round eliminations in 2017 and 2018 (both four-game sweeps), all three playoff defeats at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers, led by LeBron James.

[25][26] On June 13, 2019, just after the Toronto Raptors had clinched a 4–2 series win over the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals, Ujiri was captured on video in an altercation with an Alameda County Sheriff deputy.

Ray Kelly, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Department, alleged that Ujiri failed to show proper credentials for access to the floor.

[28] Alternate angles of the incident appear to show Ujiri shouting in the direction of the deputy with his arm around Lowry after making his way onto the court.

[29][30] Warriors season ticketholder Greg Wiener, who was seated near the altercation, alleged that the deputy used excessive force and initiated physical contact,[31] while two other fans (Ben Baller and Lucas Abrenica) that were sitting within 10 feet of the incident also disputed the deputy's version of events.

[33] However, the NBA had released a media advisory prior to the conclusion of the game stating that only personnel with gold armbands would be allowed on the court due to a visiting team winning.

[46][47] Alex McKechnie worked as vice president at the toronto raptors Ujiri, then a scout for the Nuggets, founded Giants of Africa in 2003 with the goal of discovering basketball talent.

[52] He received the honor alongside two YMCA Peace Medal honourees, Toronto police constable Dale Swift and mental health activist Loizza Aquino.

[53] In February 2020, Ujiri accompanied Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on an official visit to various African nations, including Ethiopia and Senegal.