Masai Ujiri has been unveiled as the new Team President and Alternate Governor of the Dallas Mavericks.
Dallas reached the decision following a six-month search led by team owner Patrick Dumont.
Ujiri’s appointment signals a major reset for the franchise after a turbulent period, with the organization now looking to re-establish stability, direction, and a return to winning.
Dumont formally introduced Ujiri, praising his leadership and vision, before handing over to the new president to address the media.
Ujiri began by expressing gratitude and acknowledging the magnitude of the opportunity:
“Thank you, Patrick. This is incredible. I want to thank the organization, everybody, the fans.
“It’s been overwhelming. The support has been incredible. To come to this storied organization, the Dallas Mavericks, come back to the NBA, it’s a blessing, and I’m honored and humbled to have this very unique opportunity.
“I want to thank my family, my incredible kids, my wife, my troublemaker over there. They’ve been a big support in this year off, and I’ve been Uber driver to my kids’ games, and spent great time at work watching the NBA, watching things from afar, and they really put up with me.
“Back to the organization and to the Dallas Mavericks, this is an incredible opportunity for me, and I truly, truly appreciate it.”
“Listen, I hope to bring calm. I hope to bring to this place winning. Yes, we want to get back to winning. This is a winning organization. We want to get back to that, and I know the fan base wants that. I know the organization wants that. I know leadership wants that. I know the NBA wants that, and I’m praying.
“I know that winning is my drive, and winning is going to be the drive of this organization, so thank you.
“Thank you for everybody being here.”
He then detailed what drew him back to the NBA and why Dallas stood out among potential opportunities:
“It’s the Dallas Mavericks’ story. Patrick called me, I think it was in December, four months ago, the process in which he followed an incredible process of meetings, phone calls, a five-hour lunch.
“This really stuck with me because when you’re watching the NBA from afar and with my exit from Toronto, I really felt that I wanted to take the time to really look and learn some of the things that I didn’t do so well, you want to learn the nuance of the game, but innovate a little bit.
“And when I started to think about what this team has, the organization, a young player with Cooper Flagg, the veterans on this team and the base that we have. I thought it was a very unique opportunity here. And this was the one I know that attracted me back to the NBA.”
Addressing the aftermath of recent roster changes, Ujiri acknowledged the emotional weight within the organization while stressing the need to move forward:
“I want to be very respectful to everybody here. And yes, there’s a healing process with that. Luka is a hall of famer, a future hall of famer. And that’s the past. In Africa, we say, when kings go, kings come. And the king went and we have a little prince here. Now we’re going to turn into a king.
“Yeah, and I think we have to start thinking that way. I understand what we’ve gone through. But I hope we can figure out how we reset as an organization, with the fans, everybody in the community. And we start to think of it that way and start to think of how we move on.
Ujiri also outlined his immediate priorities, emphasizing culture, alignment, and a singular focus on winning:
“There’s a transition period for me, and I’m going to get to know everybody. You know, when you come into jobs like this, obviously you have people that you are going to bring in in some way. I want to keep the great people that think about winning.
“Yeah, it’s that simple for me. The focus now is not any distraction. The focus is winning. In every single department we have, whether it’s medical, coaching, players, everything, and I can get the sense that everybody really wants to win.
“Everybody wants this leadership now and this sense of direction. We have to focus, there has to be a sense of purpose, and we have to have an honest direction here. Yeah, and everybody has to have that mindset in Dallas here.”
Beyond the immediate task of rebuilding the franchise, Masai Ujiri arrives in Dallas with a résumé that places him among the most accomplished executives in modern basketball.
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He made history in 2010 when he was appointed General Manager of the Denver Nuggets, becoming the first African born general manager in the history of the NBA and major American professional sports.
His rise continued with the Toronto Raptors, where he was promoted to team president in 2016 making him the first African to hold such a position in a major professional sports organization.
In 2013, Ujiri was named NBA Executive of the Year, becoming the only non-American to ever receive the award a recognition of his impact, innovation, and leadership within the league.
His most defining achievement came in 2019, when he led the Toronto Raptors to their first-ever NBA Championship, making him the first African executive to guide a team to an NBA title.
Now, as he begins a new chapter with the Dallas Mavericks, expectations are high that his experience, global perspective, and proven track record can help restore the franchise to championship contention.
